A Selfie Sent from Mars

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took a selfie on January 19, showing the car-size mobile laboratory next to a dark dune in Mars. The selfie is actually a combination of 57 images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera located on the of the rover’s arm.

Curiosity has recently been studying how wind moves and sorts sand particles on the Bagnold Dune Field, in the northwest flank of Mars’ Mount Sharp. One part of the study is to look over the same spot over and over to check for movement of the sand caused by the wind. If there is movement the NASA team can then use the wind measurements to find out the strength and direction of the winds that caused the movement of the sand.

This study is providing information about the movement of sand by wind on a planet with much less atmosphere and less gravity than on Earth.

For more information over this project click HERE.