Diversity in Vicinity of Curiosity's First Drilling Target
The right Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover provided this contextual view of the vicinity of the location called 'John Klein,' selected as Curiosity's first drilling site.
'Raw,' 'Natural' and 'White-Balanced' Views of Martian Terrain
These three versions of the same image taken by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity illustrate different choices that scientists can make in presenting the colors recorded by the camera.
Curiosity's First Scoop of Mars, in Vibration Movie
This image from a video shows the first Martian material collected by the scoop on the robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. The material vibrated inside the scoop after it was lifted from the ground.
The color cameras on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, including the pair that make up the rover's Mastcam instrument, use the same type of Bayer pattern RGB filter as found in typical commercial color cameras.
Panoramic View From 'Rocknest' Position of Curiosity Mars Rover
The image, which has been white-balanced to show what the rocks and soils in it would look like if they were on Earth, is a mosaic of images taken at a site called 'Rocknest' while NASA's Mars rover Curiosity was working.
This pair of images from the Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover shows the upper portion of a wind-blown deposit dubbed 'Rocknest.' At left, colors are unmodified, showing the scene as it would appear on Mars, which has a dusty red-colored atmosphere.
This set of images compares the 'Link' outcrop of rocks on Mars (left) with similar rocks seen on Earth (right). The 'Link' outcrop shows rounded gravel fragments, or clasts, up to a couple inches (few centimeters), within the rock outcrop.
A chapter of the layered geological history of Mars is laid bare in this postcard from NASA's Curiosity rover. The image shows the base of Mount Sharp, the rover's eventual science destination.
This image is from a series of test images to calibrate the 34-millimeter Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover. It was taken on Aug. 23, 2012 and looks south-southwest from the rover's landing site.
This image is from a test series used to chacterize the 100-millimeter Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover. It was taken on Aug. 23, 2012, and looks south-southwest from the rover's landing site.
This mosaic of images from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows Mount Sharp in a white-balanced color adjustment that makes the sky look overly blue but shows the terrain as if under Earth-like lighting.
Mast Camera and Its Calibration Target on Curiosity Rover
This set of images illustrates the twin cameras of the Mastcam instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover (upper left), the Mastcam calibration target (lower center), and the locations of the cameras and target on the rover.
Hydration Map, Based on Mastcam Spectra, for broken rock 'Tintina'
On this image of the broken rock called 'Tintina,' color coding maps the amount of mineral hydration indicated by a ratio of near-infrared reflectance intensities measured by the Mastcam on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity.
NASA's Curiosity rover found evidence for an ancient, flowing stream on Mars at a few sites, including the rock outcrop pictured here, which the science team has named 'Hottah' after Hottah Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories.
This image of an outcrop at the 'Sheepbed' locality, taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows well-defined veins filled with whitish minerals, interpreted as calcium sulfate.
The right Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover provided this view of the lower stratigraphy at 'Yellowknife Bay' inside Gale Crater on Mars.
Landing Site Panorama, with the Heights of Mount Sharp
This color panorama shows a 360-degree view of the landing site of NASA's Curiosity rover, including the highest part of Mount Sharp visible to the rover.
This pairing illustrates the first time that NASA's Mars rover Curiosity collected a scoop of soil on Mars. At right, the ground location 'Rocknest,' at left, after the scoop of sand and dust had been removed.
This image taken by the Mast Camera (MastCam) on NASA's Curiosity rover highlights the interesting geology of Mount Sharp, a mountain inside Gale Crater, where the rover landed.
This close-up image shows the first target NASA's Curiosity rover aims to zap with its Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument. The instrument will analyze that spark with a telescope and identify the chemical elements in the target.
Layered Martian Outcrop 'Shaler' in 'Glenelg' Area
The NASA Mars rover Curiosity used its Mast Camera (Mastcam) during the mission's 120th Martian day, or sol (Dec. 7, 2012), to record this view of a rock outcrop informally named 'Shaler.'