Mars rover snaps photo of dust cloud kicked up by descent stage's crash-landing

1,349 views · Published 15 September 2012 · 0:28 · Indexed 14 November 2026

Channel: News Direct · 2012 · News & Politics

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The strange shape seen in the Martian horizon moments after the Curiosity Mars rover landed was a dust cloud kicked up by the crash-landing of the Mars rover's Skycrane descent stage, NASA announced on Saturday.

About 40 seconds after the Curiosity touched down on Aug. 5, one of its cameras took a photo showing what looked like a smudge on the horizon that may have been dirt on the camera's lens or a dust storm. The smudge was not present in subsequent photos taken by the Mars rover.

NASA determined that the Skycrane crash-landed about 600 meters directly behind  Curiosity.

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