Curiosity Mars rover captured this view of its robotic arm during sunset on September 16, 2025, the 4,661st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This series of six images shows the rover’s 7-foot-long (2.5-meter-long) arm setting its turret, a rotating platform for science instruments, onto rock targets nicknamed “Turbio” and “Rio Aguas Blancas.”
The front hazard cameras, located on the front of the rover’s chassis, took the images between 3:55 and 4:51 p.m. local Mars time, showcasing the lengthening shadows at the end of the day. The sun finally set at 4:54 p.m. local Mars time.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/PIA26673
I don’t know why this gif in particular struck me, but I’m sitting here kind of in awe at the fact that we can see this. From a robot we built, shot up in a rocket, calculated the orbits of the planets to get it to Mars, land it, and communicate with to send it instructions and receive pictures back. Insane.
Insane.
Even more so, when we understand that it has been doing stuff like that, since it landed in August 2012… :)
