Planets and Moons  ID: 30049

Updated Curiosity Self-Portrait at John Klein

In February 2013 NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity drilled its first hole into rock target John Klein. This updated self-portrait of Curiosity combines dozens of exposures taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on February 3, 2013, with three additional exposures taken on May 10, 2013 to show the area after the drilling event. The updated area of the image is located in the lower-left quadrant and shows gray powder and two holes where the rover used its drill. Preliminary findings from analysis of the rock powder indicate that the location long ago had environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. The favorable conditions included the key elemental ingredients for life, an energy gradient that could be exploited by microbes, and water that was not harshly acidic or briny.

For More Information

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/?IDNumber=pia16937


Credits

Mark Malanoski (GST): Lead Animator
Mark Malanoski (GST): Project Support
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30049

Mission:
Mars Science Laboratory - MSL

Data Used:
Curiosity/Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

Keywords:
SVS >> HDTV
SVS >> Mars
SVS >> Hyperwall
NASA Science >> Planets and Moons
SVS >> Mars Science Laboratory
SVS >> Presentation