NASA Releases New ‘Selfies’ By Mars Curiosity Rover, Shows Mount Sharp

The American space agency showed some new self portraits, or selfies, taken by the Mars Curiosity Rover on the red planet. The photos were reportedly captured on May 11 at a location close to the bottom of Mount Sharp.

Looking back, looking forward. I'm leaving Mars' Naukluft Plateau, going higher up Mt Sharp https://t.co/QEXO4LzSZ3 pic.twitter.com/UDQACGfa9S

— Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) June 14, 2016

The photos released by NASA show Mount Sharp at the background, and the area where it was taken is actually a drill site where the rover gathered Martian rocks for test purposes. The images are the latest in a long line which the vehicle has taken of itself with rock formations, sand dunes and other objects of interest in the background.

The self portraits taken by the rover give researchers an idea about the ongoing in Mars, and a sense of familiarity to prepare for future missions. In addition, the images also give operators of the rover a chance to examine its wheels for damage or check its functionality on the Martian surface.

According to a report by NASA, the rover has recently crossed over sand dunes and taken drill samples at the Naukluft Plateau, which incidentally is also the location of the selfies. The Mast Camera (Mastcam) of the rover has also captured panoramic images from the Naukluft Plateau's highest point in the past.

"Now that we've skirted our way around the dunes and crossed the plateau, we've turned south to climb the mountain head-on," said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada. "Since landing, we've been aiming for this gap in the terrain and this left turn. It's a great moment for the mission."

The Curiosity Rover landed inside the Red Planet's 154 kilometers wide Gale Crater in August 2012 and since then the vehicle has been on a continuous and undeterred journey. The rover embarked on an eight kilometers long travel route in July 2013, which was scheduled to take it to Mount Sharp in 14 months, a mission that is still going on.