1000 Sols
Shortly before Mars' June 2015 conjunction, the Curiosity Rover
celebrated 1000 sols
on the red planet.
After its August 5, 2012 landing, Curiosity's 1000th sol
or martian day on the surface corresponded
to planet Earth's
calendar
date May 31, 2015.
Because the line-of-sight to
Mars is close to the Sun near
the conjunction, radio communications are affected
and the six-wheeled, car-sized robotic rover cautiously remains
parked at this spot for now.
The view looks back toward the
stomping
grounds for Curiosity's
nearly 10.6 kilometer trek so far, with the hazy rim of Gale Crater
looming in the distance.
The mosaicked panorama was constructed with images from
navigation cameras taken on Curiosity's sol 997.