NASA’s Curiosity Rover Stars in Rare Pic Taken by Spacecraft

It’s just a blue speck on the red planet, but that didn’t stop the Curiosity Rover from having its moment in the sun.

The little Mars rover was captured in an image taken from on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and released by NASA. The May 31 picture shows the hard-working rover exploring an area known as Woodland Bay.

“It me,” read a tweet from the Curiosity Rover account, which has gained over 4 million followers since its mission began in August 2012. “The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped this pic of moi, rollin’ around the intriguing rocks of Gale Crater’s clay-bearing unit.” 

Most photos of Curiosity are selfies or shots of the Mars landscape. The rover is currently exploring an area thought to be rich in clay, which could help scientists understand the history of water on the planet.

Last month, the machine shot a photo of a mysterious white light that appeared for just a moment. Images taken just before and after don’t show the strange light.

The NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter discovered a new 50-foot wide crater in April, believed to be only three or so years old. NASA also released an image of a landslide on Mars taken from the craft, which was launched in 2005 and made it to Martian orbit in 2006.

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Author: Eileen AJ Connelly

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