back to article Curiosity rolls over onto Martian WET PATCH, takes satisfied selfie

The Curiosity Rover has found the wettest patch of ground it's yet observed on Mars. The nuclear-powered laser-packing space tank has spent the last week or so in the "Marias Pass" region where it unleashed its drill to turn parts of a rock named “Buckskin” to powder. That powder's since been subjected to analysis by …

  1. et tu, brute?
    Meh

    cold, airless and nasty

    Cold - Okay, will give you that, if compared to our space rock, but maybe the Martians can't stand the heat?

    Airless - Not quite, but much less when compared to our space rock...

    Nasty - Says who? What has Mars done to you to make you say that?

  2. Your alien overlord - fear me

    nasty - that dust gets everywhere, and I mean *everywhere*

  3. Teiwaz
    Facepalm

    I expected it's been tweeting to...

    "Curiosity rolls over onto Martian WET PATCH, takes satisfied selfie"

    Oh dear, even if I do a Farnsworth, even the robots on Mars are wandering around taking selfies and tweeting, just like the 'robots' on earth.

    1. Mark 85

      Re: I expected it's been tweeting to...

      Well, that "satisfied selfie" would be all it could do since the "after" cigarette wouldn't light.

  4. Pen-y-gors

    Distortion

    I appreciate that they use a rather odd lense on the camera, but it would be nice if NASA would process the image to remove the distortion before releasing the photo.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Distortion

      Pleazse enlighten us - how else would you take the picture? And what would "remove the distortion" look like? It's extreme wide angle; there is no way of showing it undistorted on a flat surface.

      Here's the same picture on a stereographic projection, which is what the undistorted spherical image would look like if represented flattened:

      Curiosity gallery

  5. toxicdragon

    "nuclear-powered laser-packing space tank"

    Best. Phrase. Ever.

  6. Matthew 17

    use the nuclear power to evaporate the water....

    FREE MARS!!!!

  7. Alistair
    Coat

    Mars has layers,

    Many layers.

    Ogres have layers.

    (mines the one with the onions)

    1. Fungus Bob

      Re: Mars has layers,

      Parfait has layers too.

      Everybody likes parfait...

  8. Stevie

    Bah!

    So that's what, three to four molecules of water per scoop of pulverized rock?

  9. Andy The Hat Silver badge

    ...to let DAN do a proper job.

    I've got images in my head of a certain Cornish farmer/scrapheaper tweaking the mixture on the side of Curiosity ... :-)

    1. JWPiglet

      Re: ...to let DAN do a proper job.

      "It totally vandalised itself" moment in 3... 2... 1...

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    PHOTO

    Looks like its just finished doing a Burnout! Clarkson wasn't at the controls was he?

  11. channel extended
    Coat

    Self

    Was that a self satisfying selfie?

    1. JCitizen
      Trollface

      Re: Self

      Is that white power at the drill hole robot gizz? I can see why the satisfaction is evident! HA!

  12. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    "...during its three years on Mars,"

    Three years already? THREE YEARS! God, how time flies! It really doesn't feel that long since Curiosity was gently lowered to the surface from, of all things, a frikkin' rocket powered sky crane.

    Excellent work by all involved, well done people!

  13. IvyKing

    Marias Pass?

    Obviously someone from Northwestern Montana or a Great Northern fan was involved in naming that feature.

  14. Jonathan Richards 1
    Joke

    Neutron albedo....?

    ... seems like over-engineering to me. Should've strapped a hazel fork on the outside somewhere, and waited for the twitch.

  15. Uffish

    Smiley Face

    If you look at the spot it was drilling there's a big smile drawn in the dust. Some mission controller being whimsical or is Curiosity really feeling pleased with itself.

    http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia19807_flat-horizon-monday.jpg for a high def version of the article photo.

    1. mi1400

      Re: Smiley Face

      @Uffish .. dude .. i have not checked... but are you or me is first in world to document/find that rover's forward-left metal rimmed tire has a hole punched maybe cuz of some sharp edged rock!?!

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