Incredibly, the Curiosity rover has survived for three years on Mars, trawling the planet's surface and performing miracles of modern science. These are some of the greatest pictures it's sent back.
PICS: Curiosity marks anniversary on Mars
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1/13 The blast zone where the sky crane from NASA's Curiosity rover mission hit the Mars surface after setting the rover down in August 2012, and how that dark scar's appearance has changed over the past three years. -
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2/13 A mosaic of images taken by Curiosity while the rover was working at a site called "Rocknest" in October and November of 2012. -
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3/13 The base of Mount Sharp as seen by Curiosity before it arrived at the mountain, which is a little larger than Mount Rainier on Earth. Curiosity is now exploring the low elevations of Mount Sharp.
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4/13 This mosaic of images shows Mount Sharp. White-balanced color adjustment has made the sky look overly blue but shows the terrain as if under Earth-like lighting.
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5/13 This image from the Mast Camera on Curiosity shows inclined layering known as cross-bedding in an outcrop called "Shaler" on a scale of a few tenths of meters, or decimeters
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6/13 Cross-bedding seen in layers of Martian rock.
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7/13 A view of the rover's track marks while steering through a valley on Mars.
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8/13 A drill hole left by the Curiosity rover, while collecting soil samples in April of 2014.
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9/13 An example of cross-bedding, the result of water passing over a loose bed of sediment.
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10/13 An image of the Curiosity rover's drill in position for a mini-drill test.
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11/13 NASA's Curiosity Mars rover recorded a Martian sunset at the close of the mission's 956th Martian day, or sol, on April 15, 2015 from Gale Crater.
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13/13 Two-tone mineral veins, seen in "Garden City" an area at the base of Mount Sharp.
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