Photos: NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity on Red Planet (Week 2)

Mars Rover Curiosity: The Promised Land

This image (cut out from a mosaic) shows the view from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity landing site toward the lower reaches of Mount Sharp, where the rover will likely start its ascent through hundreds of feet (meters) of layered deposits. Image taken on Aug. 8, 2012, released Aug. 17.

1st Mars Rock Target for Curiosity

This mosaic image shows the first rock target (N165 circled) NASA's Curiosity rover aims to zap with its Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) laser. The rock is off to the right of the rover. Image taken Aug. 8, 2012. Released Aug. 17.

Close-Up of Mars Rock N165 by Curiosity

This close-up image shows the first rock target, called N165, NASA's Curiosity rover aims to zap with its Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) laser instrument. Image taken Aug. 8, 2012. Released Aug. 17.

Martian Treasure Map: Curiosity's Glenelg

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the Curiosity rover landing and destinations scientists want to investigate. The rover's first driving target is the region marked by a blue dot that is nicknamed Glenelg. Released Aug. 17, 2012.

Curiosity Rover's Mars Burn Marks Named

Scientists have named the scour marks by the Mars rover Curiosity's landing stage as, clockwise from the most north: Burnside, Goulburn, Hepburn and Sleepy Dragon. Image released Aug. 17, 2012.

Goulburn Mars: Curiosity Rover's Scour Mark

This cropped image from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows one set of marks on the Martian surface where blasts from the descent-stage rocket engines blew away surface material. This particular scour mark is near the rear left wheel and named Goulburn. Image released Aug. 17, 2012.

Glenelg Intrigues Mars Rover Curiosity

This image shows a closer view of the landing site of NASA's Curiosity rover and a destination nearby known as Glenelg. Image by MRO spacecraft. Released Aug. 17, 2012.

Color Photo of Mars Rover Curiosity Taken From Space

This color-enhanced view of NASA's Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as the satellite flew overhead. Colors have been enhanced to show the subtle color variations near the rover, which result from different types of materials.

Mars Rover Curiosity Spoof Video

A group called Satire put together a spoof video about NASA's Curiosity rover landing on Mars.

Mars Rover Curiosity and Descent Stage

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been annotated to show the relative positions between NASA's Curiosity rover (right) and the impact site of its sky crane, or descent stage after landing on Aug. 5, 2012.

A Whole New World for Curiosity

This color-enhanced view — taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as the satellite flew overhead — shows the terrain around the rover's landing site within Gale Crater on Mars. Colors were enhanced to bring out subtle differences, showing that the landing region is not as colorful as regions to the south, closer to Mount Sharp, where Curiosity will eventually explore. In reality, the blue colors are more gray. Image released August 14, 2012.