Mars rover beams back 'awesome' surface pic NASA obtains nearly
300 images from rover NASA released the first color images of
the surface of Mars from its new rover Curiosity on Tuesday,
showing a dusty, tan desert dominated by the rim of the crater
where the craft landed. The image -- shot at an angle by a
camera on Curiosity's still-stowed robotic arm -- shows the
sandy plain ahead of the rover and the northern rim of Gale
Crater, where the rover touched down early Monday. The image was
shot through a retractable, transparent dust shield over the
lens, making it "kind of murky," said Ken Edgett, a senior
scientist for the camera's builder, Malin Space Science Systems.
Controllers wanted to make sure the camera still functioned
after Curiosity's 352-million-mile voyage and harrowing landing
early Monday, Edgett told reporters at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "This was basically a focus
test," he said, adding, "It works. It's awesome. We can't wait
to open it and see what else we c