Curiosity rover snaps its first panorama before a major software upgrade

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Curiosity rover snaps its first panorama before a major software upgrade

Today, NASA is uploading a software upgrade to the Curiosity rover that should take several days to complete, but yesterday, Curiosity sent back its first 360 degree panorama, with the base of Mount Sharp visible in the distance. The three mile high mountain sits in the middle of Gale Crater and is one of Curiosity’s targets.

“It’s very exciting to think about getting there, but it is quite a ways away,” said mission scientist Dawn Sumner of the University of California, Davis.

Though it’s the sharpest view yet of the landing site, the panorama was stitched together from thumbnails while scientists waited for better quality pictures to be downloaded.

Since safely landing Sunday night, Curiosity has dazzled scientists with peeks of its new home that at first glance seems similar to California’s Mojave Desert. The initial pictures were fuzzy and black-and-white.

Earlier this week, the rover raised its mast containing high-definition and navigation cameras that have provided better views.

The car-size rover remained healthy and busy testing its various instruments. Several pebbles landed on the rover’s deck next to its radiation sensor during the final seconds of landing as it was lowered to the ground, but project managers said the stones posed no risk.

Curiosity “continues to behave basically flawlessly,” said mission manager Mike Watkins of the NASA Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $2.5 billion mission.

Over the weekend, the rover will take a break so its computers can get a software upgrade in a process similar to a laptop having periodic updates to its operating systems. The upgrade will take several days. Data download will continue during that time, but the rover won’t be doing anything new.

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