For the first time this year , Nasa ’ s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted its robotic companion on the surface of the red planet . The orbiting spacecraft captured a shot of Curiosity near the base of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater . But interestingly , the rover ’ s tracks are not visible - possibly because they have been swept away by the Martian weather . The HiRise camera is able to take images of the surface with a resolution of 10 inches ( 25cm ) per pixel , allowing it to spot the rover on the surface . It is seen here in the full image , circled . The rover is parked over dark sand in a valley with light-toned outcrops of rock . The image was taken using the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment ( HiRise ) camera on the Martian satellite , from a height of 187 miles ( 300km ) above the surface . The rover 's top speed is 1.5 inches ( 3.8 centimetres ) per second . Curiosity is the fourth rover to visit Mars . It took around seven minutes to land on the Red Planet . The rover is fitted with 17 cameras . It weighs about the same as a Mini Cooper at approximately 900kg ( 2,000lbs ) . Scientists considered 60 possible landing sites before deciding on Gale Crater . It is not the first time it has spotted Curiosity , or indeed other rovers , on the surface - but it is the first time in 2015 . The HiRise camera is able to take images of the surface with a resolution of 10 inches ( 25cm ) per pixel , allowing it to see Curiosity , which is the size of a car . In this image the rover is parked over dark sand in a valley with light-toned outcrops of rock . These rocks are part of the Pahrump Hills in the Murray Formation , which is an area of sandstones , siltstones and calcium sulphate veins on the surface . They are the lowest exposed rocks of Mount Sharp - also known as Aeolis Mons - which Nasa is planning to send Curiosity up at some point . In the image the rover had recently completed a drive of about 75ft ( 23 metres ) during its 949th day on Mars - also known as a sol . North is towards the top in the image , with the entire view spanning about 1,640ft ( 500 metres ) across . Curiosity has been driving a route through an area called Artist ’ s Drive , on its way to the higher layers of Mount Sharp after examining Pahrump Hills . Its ultimate science destination , Logan Pass , is at the bottom left of the image . Nasa scientists in California have revealed a distant image of Curiosity ( shown ) . It was taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from 187 miles up . One interesting aspect is that the rover 's tracks can not be seen . This may be due to Martian weather or they blend in with the surface . Here 's the view from the surface : Curiosity took this image of Artist 's Drive around a similar time that the MRO spacecraft spotted it from orbit . The rover is now on its way to a region called Logan Pass . Aside from keeping track of the rover , this image also allows scientists to monitor nearby sand dunes . And the absence of the rover ’ s tracks also hints at one of two possibilities . It may be that Martian wind has swept them away , or it could be that the dark sand dug up by the wheels as they move is a similar colour to the surface , and thus indistinguishable . The last time Curiosity was spotted from orbit was more than four months ago . Another benefit of taking this sort of image is to find upcoming landmarks that might be of interest for the rover . Curiosity has now been on Mars for almost 1,000 days , having landed on 6 August 2012 . Shown here is a mosaic of images creating a self-portrait of the rover , which makes it look like someone else has taken it .
Nasa scientists in California have revealed a distant image of Curiosity taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter . It was taken from an altitude of 300km ( 187 miles ) up , revealing where the rover is heading towards . One interesting aspect is that the rover 's tracks can not be seen behind it in the image . This may be due to Martian weather or that they are the same colour as the surrounding surface .