Visualized: Curiosity rover's self-portrait

No, Disney isn't working on Wall-E the live action movie. Pictured above is a self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity rover resting in the Gale crater of Mars. Showcasing some extreme detail, this high-res photo was captured by the Red Planet roller's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), with its native image clocking in at 5,463 x 7,595 pixels. The picture's Martian backdrop consists of a trail of freshly made tire tracks with a glimpse of Curiosity's future destination Mount Sharp hanging out in the distance. If you gaze deeply into the unmanned craft's soulless robotic eye, you'll catch a reflection of Mars staring right back at you. To get a closer look at our favorite Martian in all of its uncompressed glory, you can snag the 125MB image file from the second source link below.

[Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems]

Filed under: Science

Visualized: Curiosity rover's self-portrait originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.