JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Curiosity's 360-Degree View of Marker Band Valley

Feb. 8, 2023
NASA's Curiosity used its Mastcam to capture this 360-degree panorama of Marker Band Valley on Dec. 16, 2022. Rippled rock textures found in this area are the clearest evidence the rover has seen of water and waves from Mars' ancient past.

click here for larger version of figure A for PIA25732
Figure A

click here for larger version of figure B for PIA25732
Figure B

Click on images for larger versions

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Mastcam to capture this 360-degree panorama of "Marker Band Valley" on Dec. 16, 2022, the 3,684th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rover sits in the center of the image; below its raised robotic arm is a spot where it twice attempted to drill into the rocks here.

This mosaic is made up of 137 individual images that were stitched together after being sent back to Earth. The color has been adjusted to match lighting conditions as the human eye would perceive them on Earth.

The rocks near these attempted drill holes have a rippled texture that was created billions of years ago as waves flowed upon a shallow lake. Despite having climbed through thousands of feet of lake deposits, Curiosity had never previously seen evidence of water and waves this clear. The discovery came as a surprise because this region of Mount Sharp – the 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain Curiosity is climbing – is thought to have formed as Mars' climate was growing drier.

Figure A shows a close-up of the rippled textures. Figure B shows the same close-up with a scale bar.

Directly in front of the rover is the outer edge of the Marker Band – a dark, thin rock layer that was first seen from space. A "marker band" is a term geologists use to refer to a very distinct layer. Far in the distance, at the upper right, is the upper part of Mount Sharp.

Curiosity was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Mastcam.

For more about Curiosity, visit http://mars.nasa.gov/msl or https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html.

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

Keep Exploring

Curiosity's Path to Gediz Vallis Ridge and Beyond

Rendering Depicts Curiosity at Gediz Vallis Ridge

Curiosity Views Gediz Vallis Ridge

Curiosity Views Mud Cracks in the Clay-Sulfate Transition Region

Curiosity Views a Crater at 'Jau'

Curiosity's Navcams View Its Wheels

Curiosity's View Back Toward 'Marker Band Valley'

Curiosity Views Its Tracks Using Its Navcam

A Map of Curiosity's Difficult Climb

Curiosity's View up a Challenging Slope

Related Topics

QUIZZES .

Space Trivia

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Captures Dust-Filled Martian Whirlwind

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Captures Dust-Filled Martian Whirlwind

News .

Historic Wind Tunnel Facility Testing NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle Rocket

News .

Historic Wind Tunnel Facility Testing NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle Rocket

News .

Autonomous Systems Help NASA’s Perseverance Do More Science on Mars

News .

NASA Releases Independent Review’s Mars Sample Return Report

News .

NASA Releases Independent Review’s Mars Sample Return Report

News .

Autonomous Systems Help NASA’s Perseverance Do More Science on Mars

News .

Venus on Earth: NASA’s VERITAS Science Team Studies Volcanic Iceland

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
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 Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018