Here's the first higher-resolution image taken by NASA's Curiosity Rover inside Gale Crater. It was beamed back to Earth about two hours after landing and is twice as big in pixel size as the images sent back from the rover within the first few minutes of landing.
The black-and-white image was taken through a "fish-eye" lens by the vehicle's rear-left Hazcam.
Here's what project manager of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, John Grotzinger has to say:
"In the image, we are looking to the northwest. What you see on the horizon is the rim of Gale Crater. In the foreground, you can see a gravel field. The question is, where does this gravel come from? It is the first of what will be many scientific questions to come from our new home on Mars."
Larger color images are expected later this week when Curiosity's high-resolution cameras are deployed.
