WHOA | The First 360-Degree Landscape Pic from Mars 'Curiosity' Rover

Here's a new update in the saga of NASA's thrill-laden Curiosity rover! Yesterday, NASA released the darling little spacelab's first color panoramic shot from the dusty, red surface of Mars.

Hit the jump and glimpse this lonely, desolate horizon of an alien world for yourself.

PROTIP: Right-click and select "View Image" for best results

It's been five days since Curiosity landed in the Gale Crater after some daring landing acrobatics. Images like these are expected to trickle in over the course of the next two years, provided Curiosity's memory card doesn't fill up.

If you're panning from left to right, you can see the base of Mount Sharp near the center. That's where Curiosity is headed. Some of the rover's mechanical bits can be seen but most are redacted — either a security issue with NASA or an insecurity issue with the awkward, young rover itself.


Is it just me or is virtually standing on the surface of the red planet an unnerving experience? Think about it: It's probably below 76 degrees Fahrenheit there with no oxygen, due to Mars' wafer-thin atmosphere (about 1% the density of Earth's).

Either way, these images are a testament to human ingenuity and... curiosity. Unless this is just a soundstage in L.A., in which case, well played, NASA.

Well played, indeed.

VIA: Gizmodo

SOURCE: NASA