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Curiosity beams home a Mars postcard for its 5,000th day

Boing Boing • September 17, 2026 • science

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NASA's Curiosity rover, active on Mars for over 14 years, has captured a stunning panoramic postcard from images taken at a sand ridge called "Chocolatal" on its 5,000th and 5,003rd Martian days in 2026.
The two panoramas, taken at different times of day, were merged and color-enhanced by NASA to create an artistic image with blue representing morning and yellow representing afternoon views.
The panoramic image features Curiosity's deck, including its UHF antenna and nuclear power source, with the rover positioned in the foothills of Mount Sharp overlooking Gale Crater.
Curiosity's ongoing mission aims to assess Mars' past habitability, having found organic carbon and signs of ancient liquid water, which suggest the planet could have supported microbial life.
Despite being overshadowed by newer missions like Perseverance, Curiosity continues to provide valuable scientific data and memorable imagery from the Martian surface.

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