Mars probe MRO photographs rover Curiosity in motion

The Curiosity rover has been photographed on Mars for the first time. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) probe photographed the vehicle on its way to its next destination.

The image, taken by the MRO's High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument, shows Curiosity as a dark spot at the end of a long trail. The image was taken back on February 28, the rover's 4466th day (sol) on Mars.

There are many images of the rover on Mars, taken by the rover itself or by MRO from orbit. However, the US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that this is presumably the first to show it in motion.

Curiosity was launched on February 2 from its previous location in the Gediz-Vallis Canal to its next destination. This is a region with soil formations that could have been created by groundwater and which Curiosity is to take a closer look at.

Curiosity is traveling at a leisurely pace

The track shown here is about 320 meters long. Curiosity has covered this distance in eleven stages. Curiosity is traveling at a maximum speed of 0.16 km/h, depending on the terrain.

“If we compare the time that HiRISE took the image with the commands to the rover for that day, we can see that it has almost completed a 69-foot leg,” said Doug Ellison, Curiosity planning team leader at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

In the picture, Curiosity is on its way to a steep slope. According to NASA, the rover has now climbed this slope. It is expected to reach its planned location in about a month.

The Curiosity rover was launched to Mars on November 26, 2011, on board an Atlas V launch vehicle from the Cape Canaveral launch site in the US state of Florida. It landed there on August 6, 2012. 669 sols were planned for the primary mission. There are now over 4500.

(wpl)