NASA Curiosity rover sends flood of Mars pictures

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — NASA has received a flood of new black-and-white pictures from the Curiosity rover on Mars that it will stitch together to make a panorama. The photos began pouring in Wednesday morning after the nuclear-powered rover raised its mast that's equipped with the cameras. The raw images reveal portions of the rover's instrument deck, its shadow on the ground and the Martian horizon. Since touching down inside Gale Crater Sunday night, Curiosity has beamed home a steady stream of images, including the first color view from the landing site. Better views are expected over the next several days, including a color panorama. Curiosity is on a two-year mission to examine whether the ancient Martian environment ever had conditions favorable for microbial life.