Take a virtual tour of Mars’ Gale Crater, an ancient land of lakes

Since its dramatic touchdown on Mars in 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover has inched its way toward Mount Sharp, the 3-mile-high peak in the middle of Gale Crater, finally arriving at its base late last year. And now, with the click of a mouse or the tap of a screen, you can experience the same dusty, rusty terrain in this virtual tour.

Before Curiosity departed for the Red Planet, scientists held spirited debates over the best landing site for the geology lab on wheels. Researchers focused on four possibilities that would allow the rover to search for signs of past environments that could have been hospitable to life.