NASA Curiosity rover celebrates 3,000th day on Mars with stunning panorama of planet - CBS News

NASA's Curiosity rover just celebrated a major milestone — 3,000 days on the surface of Mars.

To mark the occasion, the space agency has released a stunning new panorama of the red planet, captured by the rover. ?

However, scientists track its activities in Martian days, called "sols," which are a bit longer than Earth days, at 24 hours and 39 minutes. .

The epic new panorama, released by the space agency on Tuesday, captures the view of the 96-mile-wide Gale Crater and part of Mount Sharp, its central mountain.

Can you believe I've been here for 3,000 Martian days.

After it was taken, the rover continued to higher ground, working its way toward the next major layer, called the "sulfate-bearing unit." 

Perseverance is designed to bring samples from Mars back to Earth, marking the first round-trip mission to another planet