NASA's Mars rover Curiosity snaps dusty selfie

SCI-TECH

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity snaps dusty selfie

The Associated Press Published Friday, September 7, 2018 2:10PM EDT

This June 2018 composite image made from a series of photos shows a self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover in the Gale Crater. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)

Text:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has snapped a dusty but cool selfie.

. A thin layer of dust is visible on Curiosity, the result of a storm that enveloped Mars this summer. The darkish sky indicates dust still clogging the atmosphere in August, when the panorama was shot by Curiosity's mast camera. The rover had just drilled for a new rock sample.

Curiosity is nuclear-powered and therefore unaffected by the lack of sunlight. NASA's older rover Opportunity, however, relies on solar power and has been silent since June. Flight controllers hope as the Martian sky continues to clear, Opportunity will get back in contact. But after almost 15 years exploring the red planet, Opportunity may not have the strength or ability for a comeback.

Take a look at a 360º panorama of Vera Rubin Ridge on Mars, taken as the rover surveyed its surroundings on the Red Planet during the fading global dust storm. Included is a view of the rover itself, revealing a thin layer of dust on it:
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