Written by Guy Webster
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA – NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover is continuing its traverse toward enticing science destinations after climbing over a dune spanning a gap in a ridge.
The rover covered 135 feet (41.1 meters) on February 9th, in its first drive since the 23-foot (7-meter) crossing of the dune on February 6th. That put Curiosity’s total odometry since its August 2012 landing at 3.09 miles (4.97 kilometers).
![NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used the Navigation Camera (Navcam) on its mast to catch this look-back eastward at wheel tracks from driving through and past "Dingo Gap" inside Gale Crater. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used the Navigation Camera (Navcam) on its mast to catch this look-back eastward at wheel tracks from driving through and past "Dingo Gap" inside Gale Crater. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/NASAs-Curioisty-Rover-on-the-move-again-on-Mars-towards-the-lower-slopes-of-Mount-Sharp-2-480x360.jpg)
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Project is using Curiosity to assess ancient habitable environments and major changes in Martian environmental conditions. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, built the rover and manages the project for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl , http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/.
You can follow the mission on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity.