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

Curiosity in Exaggerated Color

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. Image released August 14, 2012.

Curiosity Cradled by Gale Crater

NASA's Curiosity rover landed in the Martian crater known as Gale Crater, which is approximately the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. A green dot shows where the rover landed, well within its targeted landing ellipse, outlined in blue. Image released August 14, 2012.

Crisp View from Inside Gale Crater: Panorama

This 360-degree, full-resolution panorama from NASA's Curiosity rover shows the area all around the rover within Gale Crater on Mars. The rover's deck is to the left and far right. The rover's "head" or mast, where the Navigation cameras that took this picture are located, casts a shadow seen near the center. The rim of Gale Crater is to the left, and the base of Mount Sharp is to the center-right. The summit of Mount Sharp will be imaged at a later time. Image released August 9, 2012.

Destination Mount Sharp

This image from NASA's Curiosity rover looks south of the rover's landing site on Mars towards Mount Sharp. This is part of a larger,high-resolution color mosaic made from images obtained by Curiosity's Mast Camera. Image released August 14, 2012.

Curiosity's High-Resolution Mosaic of Its Martian Landing Site

This image is the first high-resolution color mosaic from NASA's Curiosity rover, showing the geological environment around the rover's landing site in Gale Crater on Mars. It's composed of 79 images snapped by Curiosity's Mastcam on Aug. 8, 2012

Holes Blasted out by Curiosity's Sky Crane

This color image from NASA's Curiosity rover, taken on Aug. 8, 2012, shows an area excavated by the blast of its sky crane rocket engines.

Obama Calls Curiosity Team

President Obama calls the NASA scientists behind the Curiosity Mars rover landing from Air Force One Aug. 13, 2012.

President Obama Calls Mars Rover Curiosity Team

The team behind NASA's Mars rover Curiosity's Aug. 5 landing take a call from President Barack Obama on Aug. 13, 2012. At center is NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory director Charles Elachi. Obama called the Mars landing "mindboggling."

Curiosity Photographs Wall of Gale Crater

This color image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows part of the north wall of Gale Crater, the location on Mars where the rover landed on Aug. 5, 2012 PDT. The photo was snapped by Curiosity's Mastcam on Aug. 8.

Curiosity Looks South Toward Mount Sharp

This color image from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity looks south toward Mars' huge Mount Sharp. This is part of a larger, high-resolution color mosaic made from images obtained by Curiosity's Mast Camera on Aug. 8, 2012.