NASA / JPL - Caltech / Malin Space Science Systems
Curiosity Update... In case you're wondering why I'm posting this blurry pic above, it's because the photo was taken 79 million miles (127 million kilometers) from Earth. A camera on the robotic arm of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover—which is still en route to the Red Planet—took this snapshot inside the spacecraft's aeroshell on April 20. Known as the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), the camera was being tested in preparation for Curiosity's arrival at the Red Planet on the night of August 5 (Pacific Daylight Time). The reason why this pic is blurry is because MAHLI's lens focus mechanism was turned off...to protect it from being damaged during last November's launch as well as the upcoming landing.
The Curiosity rover is still 88 days away from landing on Mars. As of April 27, the rover had 119 million miles (191 million kilometers) to go before arriving at the Red Planet...closing in at a speed of 13,000 mph (21,000 kilometers per hour). Curiosity is expected to touch down on the Martian surface around 10:31 PM, PDT, on August 5.
NASA / JPL - Solar System Simulator v4.0
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