Curiosity Looks Downslope From the Sulfate Unit

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this view looking back down at the floor of Gale Crater from its location on Mount Sharp on Feb. 7, 2025, the 4,447th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Curiosity was continuing its climb through a region of the mountain called the sulfate-bearing unit. Mount Sharp is a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain made up of a number of layers, all of which formed in different eras of Martian history. By studying each layer, the rover's team can learn more about how the Martian environment changed over time from a warmer, wetter, and more Earthlike world to the freezing desert it is today. The mountain is inside of Gale Crater, formed by an ancient asteroid impact. What appears to be a mountain range in the distance of this scene is in fact the crater's rim. The color in these images has been adjusted to match the lighting conditions as the human eye would see them on Earth. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26551