[meteorite-list] Curiosity Rover Drives On After Crossing Martian Dune

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-045

NASA's Curiosity Drives On After Crossing Martian Dune
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
February 11, 2014

[Movie]
Movie of Curiosity's View Backwards While Crossing Dune The series of
nine images making up this animation were taken by the rear
Hazard-Avoidance Camera (rear Hazcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover as
the rover drove over a dune spanning "Dingo Gap" on Mars. 
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is continuing its traverse toward enticing
science destinations after climbing over a dune spanning a gap in a ridge.

The rover covered 135 feet (41.1 meters) on Feb. 9, in its first drive
since the 23-foot (7-meter) crossing of the dune on Feb. 6. That put
Curiosity's total odometry since its August 2012 landing at 3.09 miles
(4.97 kilometers).

An animated sequence of images from the low-slung Hazard-Avoidance
Camera on the rear of the vehicle documents the up-then-down crossing of
the dune.

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project is using Curiosity to assess
ancient habitable environments and major changes in Martian
environmental conditions. JPL, a division of the California Institute of
Technology in Pasadena, built the rover and manages the project for
NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl
, http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. You can
follow the mission on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity
and on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity.

Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
guy.webster at jpl.nasa.gov

2014-045