NASA Mars rover selfie shows off Curiosity's drilling prowess
The rover proudly displays its hole-y handiwork on the Red Planet.
We've seen quite a few Mars selfies from NASA's Curiosity rover since it landed in 2012, but they never get old. The latest masterpiece shows the rover sitting pretty in an area called Glen Torridon on May 13.
Kevin Gill, a NASA software engineer who also dedicates his talent to processing all sorts of space images, shared the fresh selfie this week.
The latest selfie from @MarsCuriosity taken on Sol 2405 (May 13th) - https://t.co/taytyRYafZ pic.twitter.com/5fjTiMhTdr
— Kevin M. Gill (@kevinmgill) May 21, 2019
Gill processed the image to show natural colors and applied contrast enhancement and sharpening to polish up the mosaic.
At first glance, you'll see the rover with a gorgeous Mars backdrop all around it. Look closer on the ground in front of the machine and you'll see something special hiding in plain sight: twin drill holes. These are the spots where the rover was taking a closer look at the chemistry and geology of this intriguing clay-rich region of Mars.
The rover has been making some short drives since its selfie and currently has its eyes on another possible drilling site, a potassium-rich rock nicknamed "Hallaig."
Curiosity is NASA's only functional Mars rover at the moment. The Opportunity rover mission officially came to an end early this year.
If all goes well, Curiosity will be joined on the Red Planet by NASA's Mars 2020 rover in early 2021 and we'll get to enjoy double the Mars selfie action.
