New Mars rover photos show striking rock formations against a yellow sky

Newly released color photos from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover show striking rock formations in the Murray Buttes region near the base of the red planet's Mount Sharp. Except for the yellow sky, the layered scenery is remarkably reminiscent of the American Southwest.

"Studying these buttes up close has given us a better understanding of ancient sand dunes that formed and were buried, chemically changed by groundwater, exhumed and eroded to form the landscape that we see today," said Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada. Next, the rover will move higher up Mount Sharp to further explore whether the landscape was ever habitable for microbial life forms.

Curiosity has been on Mars since 2012. It took two years to get to the base of the mountain and has spent a month exploring the Murray Buttes area alone. Because the buttes are comparatively protected from wind erosion, scientists hope they will offer key information about the planet's past.

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