Curiosity Captures 6-Image Mars Panorama of 10-Mile Yardangs on Mount Sharp
Updated
Updated · NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory · Oct 6
Curiosity Captures 6-Image Mars Panorama of 10-Mile Yardangs on Mount Sharp
3 articles · Updated · NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory · Oct 6
Summary
Six Mastcam images taken on Aug. 11 and stitched after transmission to Earth produced Curiosity’s most detailed view yet of the wind-carved yardangs on Mount Sharp.
8:30 a.m. Mars-time lighting and the decision to skip the usual white balancing preserved blue foreground hues and the scene’s early-morning appearance.
The yardang layer spans about 10 miles across Mount Sharp’s northwestern flank, and scientists say its odd color and tilted layers could point to ancient volcanic ash.
Curiosity has been climbing the 3-mile-high mountain since 2014 and recently reached 0.6 miles of elevation—the highest ascent ever achieved on Mars.
NASA expects the rover to spend the next year crossing sulfate- and carbonate-rich layers before reaching the yardangs in 2027 for close-up arm-based study.