Why Curiosity Rover Isn't Taking Selfies Right Now

NASA's Curiosity rover captures hundreds of images as she treks through the Gale Crater on Mars. But when Curiosity turns the camera on herself, she delivers the most breathtaking shot of all: a full-body image, down to the wheels, against a backdrop of the Red Planet.

However, Curiosity hasn't delivered these shots in awhile. This isn't due to a technical glitch; it's because she's still carrying a sample from her last drill at Cumberland. In order to snap those selfies, Curiosity has to turn her arm in all different directions to capture every angle. (The photo is actually a composite of several images.) But holding this sample restricts that movement Read more...