14 DAY TRIAL // Curiosity is finally on its way in the longest journey it has ever taken. It has finished surveying the last scientific targets in the Glenelg area, where it landed, and is now moving towards its final target, Mount Sharp, the mission's main destination.
It made the first step on July 4, when it drove 18 meters (59 feet). On July 7, it added another 40 meters (131 feet). But it's got a long way to go, as there are eight kilometers (five miles) to cover to get to the base of Mount Sharp.
Mount Sharp sits in the middle of the Gale Crater and dominates the surrounding area, in no small part thanks to it being 5,500 meters (3.4 miles) tall.
It will take Curiosity about a year to cover the distance, and that's if it doesn't encounter anything interesting along the way. There's a small chance of that, judging by all the unplanned stops it made so far, so it may take all of 2014 for the Mars rover to reach its destination.