During a two-week stationary period in November 2023, NASA’s Curiosity rover, undergoing Mars solar conjunction, utilized its front and rear black-and-white Hazcams to capture a 12-hour Martian day. The rover’s shadow is discernible on the Martian surface in images taken by the front Hazcam.
When Curiosity is immobile, it serves as an effective sundial, as evidenced in two black-and-white videos recorded on November 8, the 4,002nd Martian day of the mission. Using its black-and-white Hazard-Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams), the rover documented its own shadow traversing the Martian surface.
The instructions to record these videos were included in the last set of commands transmitted to Curiosity just before the commencement of Mars solar conjunction. This period, marked by the Sun positioning between Earth and Mars, prompts a hiatus in sending commands due to potential interference with radio communications caused by solar plasma. Although the missions limit direct commands, regular health check-ins are maintained throughout the conjunction.
Typically employed for hazard detection during rover movement, the Hazcams were repurposed to capture 12 hours of snapshots, aiming to reveal insights into Mars’ weather, such as clouds or dust devils. Post-conjunction, while no noteworthy weather patterns were observed, scientists compiled two 25-frame videos illustrating the passage of time.
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Spanning from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. local time, the videos showcase Curiosity’s silhouette shifting from morning to afternoon to evening. The first video, featuring images from the front Hazcam, gazes southeast along Gediz Vallis, a valley on Mount Sharp within Gale Crater, where Curiosity has been ascending since 2014.
During sunrise, the rover’s 7-foot robotic arm’s shadow moves left, and Curiosity’s front wheels emerge on either side. A circular calibration target on the robotic arm’s shoulder becomes visible, aiding engineers in testing the accuracy of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, an instrument detecting chemical elements on Mars’ surface.
In the videos, the front Hazcam’s autoexposure algorithm adjusts exposure times throughout the day, culminating in longer exposure times at nightfall, revealing sensor noise known as “hot pixels” resembling white snow across the final image.
