JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Gale Crater Vista, in Glorious Color

Aug 09, 2012
This is the first 360-degree panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site taken by NASA's Curiosity rover. The panorama was made from thumbnail versions of images taken by the Mast Camera.

This is the first 360-degree panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site taken by NASA's Curiosity rover. The panorama was made from thumbnail versions of images taken by the Mast Camera.

Scientists will be taking a closer look at several splotches in the foreground that appear gray. These areas show the effects of the descent stage's rocket engines blasting the ground. What appeared as a dark strip of dunes in previous, black-and-white pictures from Curiosity can also be seen along the top of this mosaic, but the color images also reveal additional shades of reddish brown around the dunes, likely indicating different textures or materials.

The images were taken late Aug. 8 PDT (Aug. 9 EDT) by the 34-millimeter Mast Camera. This panorama mosaic was made of 130 images of 144 by 144 pixels each. Selected full frames from this panorama, which are 1,200 by 1,200 pixels each, are expected to be transmitted to Earth later. The images in this panorama were brightened in the processing. Mars only receives half the sunlight Earth does and this image was taken in the late Martian afternoon.

JPL manages the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
  • Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover
Target
  • Mars
Spacecraft
  • Curiosity
Instrument
  • Mastcam
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Keep Exploring

Rafael Navarro Mountain

Curiosity's 3D View of Mont Mercou

Curiosity's Selfie at Mont Mercou

Curiosity's 360-Degree View Approaching Mont Mercou

Curiosity's View of Benches on Mars

Housedon Hill Mosaic Taken by Curiosity's ChemCam

Curiosity's Selfie at the Mary Anning location on Mars

Curiosity Spots a Dust Devil in the Hills

A Dramatic View of Mars' Mount Sharp

Curiosity Captures a Spaghetti Western Landscape on Mars

Related Topic

News .

NASA’s Mars Helicopter to Make First Flight Attempt

News .

Say Cheese on Mars: Perseverance’s Selfie With Ingenuity

News .

NASA’s Odyssey Orbiter Marks 20 Historic Years of Mapping Mars

News .

NASA Invites Public to Take Flight With Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

News .

NASA’s First Weather Report From Jezero Crater on Mars

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Team Names Martian Hill That Serves as Mission ‘Gateway’

News .

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Survives First Cold Martian Night on Its Own

News .

Sensors Collect Crucial Data on Mars Landings With Arrival of Perseverance

News .

NASA’s InSight Detects Two Sizable Quakes on Mars

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Takes Selfie With ‘Mont Mercou’

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Universe Newsletter
Social Media
RSS
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono