{"id":626656,"date":"2026-09-16T17:58:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T17:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/626656\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T17:58:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T17:58:18","slug":"footprints-photographed-on-the-surface-of-mars-by-curiosity-rover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/626656\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Footprints&#8217; Photographed on the Surface of Mars by Curiosity Rover"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>      <img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Martian-Footprints1-800x597.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up view of the dusty, orange-hued Martian surface featuring scattered small rocks, pebbles, and faint tracks.\" width=\"800\" height=\"597\" class=\"size-large wp-image-875460\"   loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS <\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s Curiosity Rover, which has been exploring the surface of Mars for the past 14 years, continues to come across interesting objects, like last month when it photographed what looks a bit like a footprint.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/mars\/curiosity-rover-spots-odd-footprints-on-mars-space-photo-of-the-day-for-sept-15-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Space.com reports<\/a> that Curiosity captured the \u201cfootprints\u201d on Mars\u2019 Mount Sharp, and the scientific team operating the autonomous vehicle identified \u201cfeatures unlike quite anything we have seen in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> What Is It? <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/blog\/curiosity-blog-sols-4988-4994-more-new-tricks-for-an-old-dog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">NASA explains<\/a> that the unusual features are broad, shallow pits on the bedrock. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPits are not uncommon \u2014 when resistant nodules or pebbles weather out of their host rock, they leave behind a void,\u201d says Michelle Minitti, deputy principal investigator for Curiosity\u2019s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the pits of this week were much broader and shallower than past features and were not accompanied by obvious objects that were once in the pits.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The images were also captured by Curiosity\u2019s instruments, the Mastcam camera and ChemCam. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMAHLI and Mastcam were particularly interested in these features, acquiring stereo mosaics of them and tightly overlapping image sets that can be turned into a digital elevation model of their structure,\u201d Minitti says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were a welcome new puzzle into the processes that have affected this particular section of rocks in the stratigraphy of Mount Sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Minitti argues that the bedrock is \u201canything but boring.\u201d But a footprint belonging to some Martian creature would undoubtedly be more interesting, perhaps belonging to the \u201cjellyfish\u201d that was <a href=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/2026\/08\/28\/alien-jellyfish-or-camera-glitch-experts-debate-odd-photo-taken-on-mars\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">spotted on another Curiosity photo<\/a> recently. <\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cropped-jellyfish2-800x420.jpg\" alt=\"A red arrow points to a small, dark, T-shaped object resting on a rocky, barren landscape beneath a large, sloping hill.\" width=\"800\" height=\"420\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-870147\"   loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"low\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, that too had a more prosaic explanation: it was likely a camera artifact caused by a cosmic ray striking the camera sensor at the exact moment the photo was taken. <\/p>\n<p>As mentioned, Curiosity has been roaming Mars for 14 years and has a knack for finding interesting objects. Like rocks that <a href=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/2025\/08\/08\/nasa-curiosity-rover-captures-photos-of-coral-like-rocks-on-mars\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">closely resemble coral<\/a> found in Earth\u2019s oceans. <\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/2025\/08\/08\/nasa-curiosity-rover-captures-photos-of-coral-like-rocks-on-mars\/pia26633\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-809157 nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/PIA26633-800x597.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up view of a textured, irregularly shaped rock formation on a sandy, granular surface, resembling a branching or coral-like pattern, photographed on Mars.\" width=\"800\" height=\"597\" class=\"size-large wp-image-809157\"   loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"low\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/a>This photo was captured by the Mars Curiosity rover on July 24.<\/p>\n<p>Curiosity also photographed a strange crater on Mars where there is an abundance of rocks that <a href=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/2026\/04\/21\/mars-curiosity-rover-captures-photos-of-rocks-that-look-like-dragon-scales\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">look like dragon scales<\/a> .<\/p>\n<p> <img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Mars-Dragon-Scales-800x420.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up view of a rocky, reddish Martian surface with jagged, layered rock formations and scattered dust. Part of a rover\u2019s equipment marked \u201cCURI\u201d is visible in the bottom left corner.\" width=\"800\" height=\"420\" class=\"size-large wp-image-850584\"   loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"low\" decoding=\"async\"\/>NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS\/Kevin M. Gill <\/p>\n<p>NASA calls them \u201choneycomb-shaped polygons\u201d that crisscross the surface. They were pictured in the newly named \u201cAntofagasta\u201d crater, which is just 32 feet (10 meters) in diameter. <\/p>\n<p> Affiliate Disclosure PetaPixel articles may include affiliate links; we may earn a commission if you buy through one. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS NASA\u2019s Curiosity Rover, which has been exploring the surface of Mars for the past 14 years, continues&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":626657,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[61,60,82,247],"class_list":["post-626656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626656"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626656\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/626657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}