An epic NASA panorama shows a Curiosity rover under a dusty Mars sky

Mars can be a mystery and the NASA Curiosity rover has arrived in the middle.

The space agency released a wild 360 degree panorama captured by the rover on August 9th. It is remarkable for the view of Mars' dark and dusty sky and for the detailed look at the vehicle covered with dust itself.

The landscape around Curiosity shows part of the Vera Rubin ridge, a place that particularly intrigues scientists. The mobile met rocks here that are too difficult to drill and NASA wonders how they did it.

The region is home to a surprising variation of colors and textures in the local geology. The rover recently attempted three different drill operations, eventually finding success when he reached a softer target called "Stoer".

The Curiosity team hopes that the rock analysis will allow them to learn more about what makes Vera Rubin's crest so erosion resistant. The rover is still studying the location, along with two other drill samples planned for this month.

You can explore YouTube's 360-degree interactive version of the panorama, which is about as close to reality as possible.

The annotated video view shows the most recent drill site and you can even see a hole in one of the wheels of the mobile.

While Curiosity is still doing well and bears witness to the end of the global dust storm that has surrounded the planet, its cousin, Rover Opportunity, has not been heard since the silence of June 10.

NASA is still hope that the opportunity will recover and call home, but we can always be grateful for the continued work of Curiosity.

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