Curiosity begins driving at Bradbury Landing On August 22, the
rover made its first move to confirm the health of its mobility
system and left its first wheel tracks on Mars. August 23, 2012
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has begun driving from its landing
site, which scientists announced yesterday they have named for
the late author Ray Bradbury. This 360-degree panorama shows
evidence of a successful first test drive for NASA's Curiosity
rover. A small 3.5-inch (9 centimeters) rock can be seen where
the drive began, which engineers say was partially under one of
the rear wheels. Scour marks left by the rover's descent stage
during landing can be seen to the left and right of the wheel
tracks. The lower slopes of Mount Sharp are visible at the top
of the picture, near the center. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech
Making its first movement on the martian surface August 22,
Curiosity's drive combined forward, turn, and reverse segments.
This placed the rover roughly 20 feet (6 meters) from the spot
where it landed August