Next on Mars: 400 scientists on an alien road trip

Imagine taking 400 scientists on an alien road trip where each one wants to examine every interesting rock along the way. Welcome to the next two years of NASA’s landmark robotic mission on Mars.

Scientists on Earth are eager to explore the Gale Crater, where water is believed to have pooled many years ago and where the US space agency’s $2.5 billion Curiosity rover touched down early Monday.

Next up, Curiosity will haul the Mars Science Lab at least half-way up Mount Sharp, a towering three-mile (five-kilometer) Martian mountain with sediment layers that may be up to a billion years old.

But it may be a full year before the remote-controlled rover gets to the base of the peak, which is believed to be within a dozen miles (20 kilometers) of the rover’s landing site.

NASA shows the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team in the MSL Mission Support Area reacting after learning that the Curiosity rover has landed safely on Mars and images start coming in at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Mars on August 5, 2012 in Pasadena, California. NASA’s 2.5 billion USD Mars rover on August 5 made a dramatic touchdown on the Red Planet, marking a successful end to the most sophisticated Mars attempt in history. AFP PHOTO