Curiosity Marks 5,000th Martian Day With New Chocolatal Ridge Panorama

1 articles · Updated · PetaPixel · Oct 6

NASA’s Curiosity rover marked its 5,000th sol on Mars with a new panorama shot from the sandy “Chocolatal” ridge in Gale Crater.
Two black-and-white navigation-camera mosaics—taken on Aug. 30 and Sept. 2, Curiosity’s 5,000th and 5,003rd sols—were sent to Earth and merged into one scene.
Blue and yellow coloring was added as an artistic interpretation to distinguish the morning and afternoon views, giving the image a postcard-like look similar to earlier Curiosity panoramas.
The panorama shows Curiosity in the foreground, including its UHF antenna and MMRTG power source, with wheel tracks trailing across terrain as it explores Mount Sharp’s lower foothills.