Curiosity Looks Over the Hill

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its navigation cameras to capture this scene after making a detour around the toughest climb it has ever faced. After the rover struggled to crest a 23-degree slope covered with slippery sand and wheel-sized rocks, the mission decided to drive about 492 feet (150 meters) to a location where the slope was below 15 degrees, and there were fewer rocks and less sand. This mosaic shows the view ahead as the rover began to ascend the area that was less challenging.