Curiosity Trekking
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Curiosity Trekking
ESP_034572_1755  Science Theme: Aeolian Processes
Curiosity has been on the move. In this most recent HiRISE image of the MSL rover, the tracks are visible from Yellowknife Bay to its location on 11 December 2013, several kilometers to the southwest. Tracks from its landing site to Yellowknife Bay made more than a year ago are faded but still discernible.

The enhanced color image shows where the tracks cross the narrow (1-kilometer wide) color swath of HiRISE. A black-and-white image subimage shows the rover itself. Rather than follow a straight path to its next destination, the rover has zig-zagged to avoid steep slopes.

Curiosity is progressing from the bright dust-covered area to a region with a darker surface, where saltating sand keeps the surface relatively free of dust. The scenery seen by the rover will be getting more interesting as it progresses toward Mount Sharp.



Written by: Alfred McEwen (audio by Tre Gibbs)  (9 January 2014)
 
Acquisition date
11 December 2013

Local Mars time
15:02

Latitude (centered)
-4.691°

Longitude (East)
137.433°

Spacecraft altitude
270.1 km (167.9 miles)

Original image scale range
27.4 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~82 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
9.9°

Phase angle
59.9°

Solar incidence angle
52°, with the Sun about 38° above the horizon

Solar longitude
61.2°, Northern Spring

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  39.1°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (713MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (412MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (370MB)
non-map           (344MB)

IRB color
map projected  (116MB)
non-map           (322MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (166MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (160MB)

RGB color
non map           (314MB)
ANAGLYPHS
Map-projected, reduced-resolution
Full resolution JP2 download
Anaglyph details page

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.