On Sept. 1, Curiosity drove an additional 98 feet (30 meters) and tested its "visual odometry" system, which enables the rover to determine the distance it has traveled by analyzing its own images, agency officials said. On its wheels, the rover has imprints of the Morse Code symbols for "JPL" â€" the abbreviation for California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which houses Curiosity's mission control. As the rover drives over Mars, it leaves patterns in the Martian dirt that scientist can study to calculate how far it has traveled.
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<br />http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0904/Curiosity-Mars-rover-shoots-spectacular-full-circle-panorama
