TORONTO – When the Mars rover Curiosity stopped to reassess its route on Friday, it took a panorama from the edge of a Martian dune, which NASA released on Monday.
Curiosity has been on Mars since Aug. 6, 2012. It’s been on a southwestward route toward a hill called Mount Sharp for several months.
READ MORE: Mars rover drives itself to destination
The sand on Mars can be hazardous for rovers.
In March 2009, Spirit, which arrived on Mars in 2004, became stuck in a patch of sand. For eight months, NASA engineers worked diligently here on Earth on methods of getting the rover free, sending more than 1,300 commands to Spirit, but to no avail.
The decision to let Spirit rest in peace was made in 2010. It’s counterpart, Opportunity, which landed on the other side of the red planet the same year celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this month.
After analyzing the landscape, an area dubbed “Dingo Gap” was found to be the best choice for Curiosity to continue.
Curiosity has made several significant discoveries since arriving on Mars, including finding that the Martian dirt contains water.
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