Mars rover Curiosity captures stunning footage during downtime
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity may have had some downtime during November, but it certainly didn’t rest on its laurels. Instead, the robot captured breathtaking footage of dawn to dusk on the Red Planet.
On November 8, during the 4,002nd Martian day of its mission, Curiosity filmed two black-and-white videos using its Hazard-Avoidance Cameras (HazCams). The downtime was necessary due to Mars passing behind the opposite side of the sun to Earth, a period known as Mars solar conjunction.
During these periods, ground control operators cease sending messages to the robots on Mars as solar plasma can interfere with the commands. However, regular “health checks” are still sent back to Earth.
This year, the Mars fleet was out of communication for two weeks, and the last instruction received by Curiosity was to start filming its surroundings. The footage, consisting of 12 hours worth of snapshots collected over a 24-hour period, showed the shadow of Curiosity drifting over the Martian surface, effectively acting as a rudimentary sundial.
While the team had hoped to capture footage of Martian clouds or dust devils, the videos showed no notable weather activity. However, the footage did reveal a valley carved into Mount Sharp or Aeolis Mons, a 3-mile (5-kilometer) mountain in the Gale Crater region of Mars.
Curiosity has been exploring the region since its landing in 2012 and remains in good health. The downtime allowed the robot to capture a different perspective of the Martian landscape, providing valuable insights into the planet’s terrain and environment.