NASA's Curiosity rover has found a field of honeycomb-like patterns on Mars as it begins climbing a valley nicknamed Valle Grande. The newly returned images show polygonal fractures, a textured surface feature that stands out clearly in the rover's latest views.
According to the mission update, these crack patterns are not new to Curiosity's science team, which has seen similar textures before. In this area, the individual polygon shapes are about 1.5 to 3 inches, or 4 to 8 centimeters, across, creating a tightly packed, honeycomb appearance.
The discovery adds another notable landmark to Curiosity's trek through Valle Grande. Even though the texture is familiar to researchers, finding a larger field of these fractures in a new location gives the team another chance to examine how widespread the feature is along the rover's route.
For Mars scientists, images like these help build a clearer picture of the planet's varied surface. As Curiosity continues its climb, the honeycomb-textured ground in Valle Grande is becoming one more feature of interest in the rover's long-running exploration of Mars.
