Curiosity Color Close-Up upon Landing
Date: 7 Aug 2012

This color thumbnail image was obtained by NASA's Curiosity rover during its descent to the surface on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT). This image was obtained by Curiosity's Mars Descent Imager and is representative of the images acquired once the Curiosity rover was resting on the surface of Mars after touchdown. It illustrates a narrow sunlit strip of the pebble-covered surface while the rest of the view is in the shadow of the rover. It was taken seconds after touchdown. The camera is about 70 centimeters above the ground when the rover's wheels are on a flat surface. Hundreds of MARDI frames were captured during descent.

The original image from MARDI has been geometrically corrected to look flat.

Curiosity landed inside of a crater known as Gale Crater.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS