Less than a month after its touchdown, NASA's Curiosity rover is already revealing a wealth of new detail about Mars-even before driving for any significant distance. Moreover, scientists are confident the startling high-definition images of inclined strata and other significant geological phenomena transmitted late last month from Curiosity are merely the tip of the iceberg as it begins its trek toward the base of nearby Mount Sharp, the central feature of the Gale Crater in which it landed. The rover, which landed on Aug. 5, is tasked with assessing the past and present habit-ability of Mars (see p. 28).
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