NASA's Mars rover triumph for American ingenuity

On Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover snapped a series of images that were combined back on Earth to create a self-portrait of the car-sized robotic vehicle. The mosaic image above shows Curiosity at a location in Mars' Gale Crater that NASA dubbed "Rocknest," where the rover scooped its first samples of Martian soil. Four scoop marks can be seen in front of the rover, which dug a fifth hole after taking pictures of itself. /NASA image


Reports of the death of American technological prowess have been greatly exaggerated.

After successfully executing the most complicated robotic landing on another planet in August, NASA's latest Mars mission is literally on a roll, with the Curiosity rover collecting a treasure trove of scientific information on the Red Planet. Curiosity has been transmitting stunning images of the Martian surface back to Earth for months, and the rover successfully completed a critically important first use of the drill at the end of its robotic arm about 10 days ago.

The images shown in this blog post show the potential for the Curiosity mission to revolutionize our understanding of the geologic history of Mars. And the rover appears to be on the right track to achieving the mission's grandest goal: determining whether life has ever existed on the Martian surface.

This mosaic image captured with Curiosity's Mast Camera shows a panoramic view of the Martian surface looking east from "Rocknest." The image has been "white-balanced" to show what the rocks and soils would look like on Earth. /NASA image

On Dec. 7, 2012, Curiosity's Mast Camera captured this image of an outcrop NASA dubbed "Shaler." Scientists believe the layered rock was formed through a geological process called cross-bedding, which occurs on Earth with running water. The presence of liquid water is widely considered as one of the key conditions necessary for life forms to thrive. /NASA image

At an outcrop in an area NASA dubbed "Sheepbed," Curiosity's Mast Camera snapped this image of veiny rock on Dec. 13, 2012. Scientists believe the white veins in the rock are composed of calcium sulfate. On Earth, similar calcium sulfate deposits are formed when liquid water penetrates and circulates through rock fractures. /NASA image