NASA Mars Rover Investigates Wild ‘Gator-Back Terrain’ – CNET [CNET]

NASA’s Curiosity rover is checking out a funky stretch of landscape on the red planet and the images are delightful.

Curiosity is cruising around the Gale Crater and climbing up Mount Sharp, the crater’s central peak. The rover has been investigating a transitional area with formations the team is describing as “gator-back terrain.” 

The washboardlike landscape was spotted in orbital images, but the team is finally getting a close-up look. “Now that we’re here it’s quite surprising to see how rugged it is, and the informal description of this ‘gator-back terrain’ seems very fitting!” wrote planetary geologist Lauren Edgar of the US Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center in a mission update on Monday.

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