New York, May 2 (IANS): Don't miss this selfie from the red planet. NASA's rover Curiosity has started drilling on Mars for the third time and did not miss the opportunity to take its Martian self-portrait.
The drill has begun at a geologically interesting location nicknamed “The Kimberley”.
In this selfie, Curiosity appears to be leaning its "head" -- a suite of instruments including the Chemcam and Mastcam cameras to the side -- capturing the 5 km high Aeolis Mons ('Mount Sharp') on the horizon.
In coming days, the rover will conduct a preparatory “mini-drill” operation to check the area for readiness, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement.
The hammering drill on Curiosity collects powdered sample material from rocks and then delivers portions to laboratory instruments onboard.
The self portrait has been put together by Discovery News.