Panorama and self-portrait from Curiosity

After discovering a new rock on August 9, 2018, the Curiosity rover examined the surrounding landscapes on Mars, performing a 360 degree panoramic view from its current location on Vera Rubin Ridge.

Thanks to the mast camera MastCam, a rare image of the rover was made. It clearly shows a thin layer of dust, which is a trace of a sandstorm.

In the foreground of the frame, a new research objective for the rover is shown, named “Stoer” in honor of a Scottish city. With this new rock, Curiosity will continue testing the new method of soil drilling and will once again test its effectiveness compared to the old method.

Until the rover starts drilling a new rock, he can not understand how hard it is. However, at the moment, scientists of the mission can confidently say that their Martian chemical laboratory has not yet had to deal with such a rock that has some transitions in color and structure.

Drilling and the study of a new sample will help researchers understand what is the “cement” in the rock and how this is related to the level of its hardness.