• A color mosaic taken by NASA's Mars Curiosity rover's Mast Camera shows strata exposed along the margins of the valleys in the Pahrump Hills region on Mars in this undated handout photo courtesy of NASA. After 18 months of driving, scientists on Thursday announced that Curiosity had arrived at the base of Mount Sharp ahead of schedule, thanks to a somewhat serendipitous decision to take an alternative path that would be gentler on the rover's damaged wheels. | REUTERS
    A color mosaic taken by NASA's Mars Curiosity rover's Mast Camera shows strata exposed along the margins of the valleys in the Pahrump Hills region on Mars in this undated handout photo courtesy of NASA. After 18 months of driving, scientists on Thursday announced that Curiosity had arrived at the base of Mount Sharp ahead of schedule, thanks to a somewhat serendipitous decision to take an alternative path that would be gentler on the rover's damaged wheels. | REUTERS

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CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has arrived at the base of a mountain of layered rock that scientists suspect holds clues about whether the planet most like Earth in the solar system had the ingredients to support and preserve signs of microbial life.

The 1-ton rover touched down inside an ancient impact basin in August 2012. It quickly discovered a region inside the Gale Crater landing site that was chemically and geologically suited for the same kind of rock-eating microbes commonly found on Earth.

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