I have seen thousands upon thousands of still frames from the MER, MSL and Mars 2020 missions, but very few that take the perspective seen above. I find it practical and useful for the following reasons:
- Seeing exactly which clasts and sand ripples have been in contact with the rover (notice the pebbles and cobbles that have been pushed into sand, exposing darker material). The rover’s tracks aren’t always evident, and this helps.
- We can easily see the state of the wheels
- We get instant perspective on the size of surface features
- We can observe sedimentation on the rover (how much sand/dust is coating it) through time
However…
Shots like this are just really cool. People already anthropomorphize rovers (and Ingenuity), because we like seeing ourselves on other worlds by proxy. People also like monster trucks, mudbogging, ATVs, and just plain getting dirty. Mars is known for being cold and arid, but the truth is, barring any possible toxins in the soil or dust, it’s really a place for big kids! Geologists aren’t the only ones who like to play in the rocks. There’s a whole culture out there that likes to put metal to dirt or hard stone, and I don’t feel like we reach them enough. More of these, please!
Where can I find this photo in high resolution?
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/
All original images are found here!
The one of OP might be this one
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/NLF_1092_0763882891_988ECM_N0510030NCAM03092_07_195J
Awesome, thanks!
For Android users, all of these images can also be browsed via my unofficial app: MarsFeed! A lot of sweat and tears have gone into making it - and I am personally super proud of it! It’s a lot easier to use (and much faster) than the official NASA website.
I know that the mission releases the proper calibrated images here, but only some months later, so neumast’s reply is the correct one for now.
You can also find thousands of calibrated MastCam-Z images on this link (without having to wait 6 months for the PDS versions : https://mastcamz.asu.edu/mars-images/images-videos/?item_type=natural-color-images