NASA’s Curiosity Takes Stunning ‘Postcard’ Images of Martian Morning and Afternoon – Mars Exploration by NASA

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has captured a stunning image of “Marker Band Valley” before leaving it behind. The postcard is an artistic interpretation of the landscape, with color added over two black-and-white panoramas captured by Curiosity’s navigation cameras. The views were taken on April 8 at 9:20 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. local Mars time, providing dramatically different lighting that, when combined, makes details in the scene stand out. The image peers past the rear of the rover, providing a glimpse of its three antennas and nuclear power source. The Radiation Assessment Detector instrument, which appears as a white circle in the lower right of the image, has been helping scientists learn how to protect the first astronauts sent to Mars from radiation on the planet’s surface.

Courtesy of Nasa