NASAs Curiosity rover tape-recorded two time-lapse videos on Mars, showcasing its shadow crossing the Martian surface. The videos, recorded during a communication-limited period, emphasize technical elements of the rovers cameras and offer insights into Curiositys ongoing mission and expedition achievements. (Artists idea.) Credit: SciTechDaily.comVideos from the rover show its shadow crossing the Martian surface during a 12-hour series while Curiosity remained parked.When NASAs Curiosity Mars rover isnt on the relocation, it works pretty well as a sundial, as seen in two black-and-white videos recorded on November 8, the 4,002 nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rover captured its own shadow shifting across the surface area of Mars utilizing its black-and-white Hazard-Avoidance Cameras, or Hazcams.Instructions to record the videos were part of the last set of commands beamed as much as Curiosity just before the start of Mars solar conjunction, a duration when the Sun is between Earth and Mars. Missions hold off on sending commands to Mars spacecraft for several weeks throughout this time because plasma from the Sun can interfere with radio communications. (The objectives werent totally out of contact: They still radioed back routine health check-ins throughout conjunction.)While fixed for 2 weeks during Mars solar conjunction in November 2023, NASAs Curiosity rover utilized its front and rear black-and-white Hazcams to capture 12 hours of a Martian day. The rovers shadow shows up on the surface in these images taken by the front Hazcam. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechRover motorists typically depend on Curiositys Hazcams to spot rocks, slopes, and other dangers that might be dangerous to traverse. Because the rovers other activities were intentionally scaled back just prior to conjunction, the team decided to utilize the Hazcams to record 12 hours of photos for the first time, hoping to catch clouds or dust devils that could reveal more about the Red Planets weather.When the images came down to Earth after conjunction, researchers didnt see any weather condition of note, however the set of 25-frame videos they put together do record the passage of time. Extending from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. regional time, the videos reveal Curiositys silhouette shifting as the day moves from morning to afternoon to evening.The first video, including images from the front Hazcam, looks southeast along Gediz Vallis, a valley found on Mount Sharp. Interest has actually been ascending the base of the 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain, which beings in Gale Crater, considering that 2014. As the sky lightens up during sunrise, the shadow of the rovers 7-foot (2-meter) robotic arm moves to the left, and Curiositys front wheels emerge from the darkness on either side of the frame. Ending up being visible at left is a circular calibration target installed on the shoulder of the robotic arm. Engineers utilize the target to check the accuracy of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, an instrument that finds chemical elements on the Martian surface.In the middle of the day, the front Hazcams autoexposure algorithm picks exposure times of around one-third of a second. By nightfall, that exposure time grows to more than a minute, causing the common sensor noise referred to as “hot pixels” that appears as white snow across the last image.Curiositys rear Hazcam recorded the shadow of the back of the rover in this 12-hour view looking toward the floor of Gale Crater. A range of elements caused numerous image artifacts, including a black speck, the distorted appearance of the Sun, and the rows of white pixels that streak out of the Sun. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechThe second video reveals the view of the rear Hazcam as it looks northwest down the slopes of Mount Sharp to the floor of Gale Crater. The rovers right rear wheel shows up, in addition to the shadow of Curiositys power system. A little black artifact that appears at the left midway through the video, throughout the 17th frame, resulted from a cosmic ray striking the video camera sensor. Likewise, the intense flashing and other noise at the end of the video are the result of heat from the spacecrafts power system impacting the Hazcams image sensor.These images have actually been re-projected to remedy the wide-angle lenses of the Hazcams. The speckled look of the images, specifically prominent in the rear-camera video, is due to 11 years of Martian dust picking the lenses.More About the MissionCuriosity was built by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
NASAs Curiosity rover recorded two time-lapse videos on Mars, showcasing its shadow moving throughout the Martian terrain. Credit: SciTechDaily.comVideos from the rover reveal its shadow moving across the Martian surface throughout a 12-hour sequence while Curiosity stayed parked.When NASAs Curiosity Mars rover isnt on the move, it works quite well as a sundial, as seen in two black-and-white videos taped on November 8, the 4,002 nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rover captured its own shadow shifting throughout the surface of Mars using its black-and-white Hazard-Avoidance Cameras, or Hazcams.Instructions to tape the videos were part of the last set of commands beamed up to Curiosity simply before the start of Mars solar conjunction, a duration when the Sun is in between Earth and Mars. Extending from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. regional time, the videos reveal Curiositys shape shifting as the day moves from early morning to afternoon to evening.The first video, including images from the front Hazcam, looks southeast along Gediz Vallis, a valley discovered on Mount Sharp.