Humans will never go to Mars. It's probably for the best.
Mars is very inhospitable to human survival. We still dream of planting our feet on alien ground.
We have the next best thing, robotic rovers, which are able to take in the red dust with their robotic eyes. This new image, captured by NASA's rover and enhanced by the mission team here on Earth, really conveys the sense of wonder and wildness one might feel standing on Mars.
The post on the JPL website states that the rover captured a remarkable image from its most recent perch on the side of Mount Sharp.
The mission team combined two different versions of black-and-white images from different times of the day to create a rare postcard from the red planet.
There is a view on Mars. JPL-Caltech is a part of NASA.
The image was taken on November 16. The panoramic view of the surroundings on Mount Sharp in the Gale Crater is captured by the rover at these stops.
When the most recent panorama was sent back to Earth, the team decided it needed to be captured in the highest resolution possible.
At 8.30pm and 4.10pm Mars-time, the rover captured two separate images of the scene as it looked back down the slopes of Mount Sharp. The two mosaics were combined to highlight the different light conditions at different times of the day.
The morning light is blue, the orange is orange, and the afternoon is green.
Mars is in the morning and afternoon. JPL-Caltech is a part of NASA.
Mount Sharp is the peak at the center of the Gale Crater, and it is in the center of the image.
In December of last year, a field of ripples called the Sands of Forvie was explored by the rover, and in August of this year, the hills to the right of the center were explored.
The formation named after one of the scientists who helped identify organic compounds on Mars is to the far right. The passing away of Rafael Navarro was sad.
After landing on Mars in August of 2012 the NASA rover, called "Curiosity", has been on the red planet for nearly a decade.
We can gain better knowledge of the climate and geology of Mars, both past and present, by exploring the Gale Crater, which the rover was tasked with doing. It's looking for any signs that Mars once was a good place to live.
Perseverance arrived on Mars earlier this year and is looking at Mars' habitability more closely. The new arrival has been looking for signs of life in the rocks of Mars.
The original mission was only planned for two years. The two rovers are exploring different terrains on the red planet, and their observations have and will continue to vastly improve our understanding of a planet so similar to, yet so different from Earth.
The full-size version of the postcard from Mars can be downloaded here.
