New image shows Mount Sharp in the distant background

Feb 28, 2014 14:57 GMT  ·  By
Mount Sharp is clearly visible in this recent image collected by Curiosity on the surface of Mars
   Mount Sharp is clearly visible in this recent image collected by Curiosity on the surface of Mars

A new panoramic image beamed back to Earth by the NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity showcases an interesting patch of ground ahead that features numerous striations. Scientists say that they plan to suspend future drives in order to investigate this area more thoroughly. 

The closest rocks in the image above make up an outcrop called Junda, which Curiosity has already surpassed on February 19. During the drive, the robot moved 100 meters (328 feet) forward, all while snapping additional images of its surroundings.

It was during this study that mission controllers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California have detected a location – tentatively called Kimberley – which features numerous striations that reveal multiple types of soils and rocks in between them.

It is on Kimberley that Curiosity will stop for a while. Its instruments will collect samples from various locations around the area, while its mast-mounted laser will zap away at surrounding rocks. ChemCam can conduct mass spectrometry studies from afar, by zapping rock into dust, and then peering through the material to assess its inner composition.

Also visible in the image above, in the background and a little to the left, is the 5-kilometer (3-mile) Mount Sharp, the central landscape feature in the Gale Crater. The slopes of Mount Sharp are the ultimate destination for Curiosity, though controllers do not yet know when the rover will reach it.