NASA’s Curiosity rover spotted from space making tracks on Mars’ surface
NASA’s Curiosity rover appears as a dark speck in this contrast-enhanced view captured on Feb. 28, 2025, by the HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Trailing Curiosity are the rover’s tracks, which can linger on the Martian surfac
Cue "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen.
The tracks of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover was photographed from space as it made its way to the next science stop.
Far above aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Curiosity was captured in what is believed to be the photo of the rover trekking across the Red Planet, NASA said.
The image
Dig deeper:
In the image that was captured on Feb. 28, Curiosity appears as a mere black speck toward the bottom of the image.
Behind the speck is a long, trailing line of the rover’s tracks.
The tracks will remain in the dust for likely months before they're erased by Martian winds, NASA suggested.
What they're saying:
"By comparing the time HiRISE took the image to the rover’s commands for the day, we can see it was nearly done with a 69-foot drive," said Doug Ellison, Curiosity’s planning team chief at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Curiosity’s next stop
What's next:
Curiosity has been on Mars for 4,466 Martian days, which equates to roughly over 12 years on Earth.
The tracks seen in the photo span about 1,050 feet as the rover drove at a top speed of 0.1 mph.
The rover is making its way from the Gediz Vallis channel to a new region that will have the potential for boxwork formations. Scientists believe these formations were made by groundwater billions of years ago.
What we don't know:
Scientists say they are unsure how long it will take Curiosity to reach its next destination as the rover navigates the unknown terrain.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a NASA JPL news release published on April 24, 2025. This story was reported from Los Angeles.