Curiosity Snaps Gorgeous and Huge Portrait of Herself and the Martian Landscape

Curiosity is staying busy, all by herself on Mars, scooping sand, analyzing it and doing a bunch of other boring but necessary "work-related" stuff.

But every once in a while, whenever she gets a free moment, she gets to do what she actually likes, take photos of the places she's visiting, like any 21st century tourist, and of herself.

Mostly of herself actually, like any respectable amateur photographer is wont to do. With a body like that, who can blame her.

One of her latest portraits is probably the most spectacular as well, a composite shot made up of several photos taken with her Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI).

The photos were shot on Sol 84, the 84th day she spent on Mars, October 31 on Earth. The end result is nothing less of spectacular.

The full resolution photo is incredibly detailed, you can see every nut and bolt and every speck of dust.

Which is actually the point, these photos may look great, but their purpose is to help NASA scientists keep track of Curiosity's condition and check for any damage.

Apart from Curiosity's gorgeous physique, there's plenty of other stuff to see in the photo. Right in front of her are the marks left by the four scoops of sand she picked up and the sand she discarded.

You can also get a good view of Rocknest, the area where she's been doing the soil analysis.

Off in the distance, on the right, is a portion of Mount Sharp. The mountains visible to the left are the walls of the Gale Crater. And, of course, everywhere around here is the Gale Crater itself. The full resolution photo is here.