Rover arrives at Mount Sharp after a year

File photo: Nasa's Curiosity Mars rover self-portrait.

File photo: Nasa's Curiosity Mars rover self-portrait.

Published Sep 12, 2014

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Washington - The Curiosity rover has arrived at Mars' Mount Sharp and is preparing to scale the massive mountain, Nasa said on Thursday.

The rover landed on the Red Planet in August 2012 with the goal of determining whether Mars once offered conditions favourable for microbial life.

Curiosity uncovered evidence of ancient lakes and rivers on the planet that indicate it could have harboured life.

It has been exploring the planet's Gale crater, which scientists targeted in part because water appeared to have flowed there in the ancient past.

The crater is dominated by Mount Sharp, which rises about 5 kilometres above the surface. The massive feature includes layers of rock strata that will provide a virtual history of Mars' geological past.

At the mountain, scientists hope to find clues to the ancient history of Mars and will begin by studying the mountain's lower slopes.

Curiosity arrived at the mountain by a different route than scientists had originally planned after its wheels were damaged by sharp rocks, forcing it to traverse an easier path. - Sapa-dpa

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