( CNN ) -- Mars rover Curiosity beamed back a sweeping color panorama of the planet 's surface Thursday , showing the rocky , reddish desert surrounding it and the mountain it will explore in the coming months . The 360-degree view captures the landscape of Gale Crater , where Curiosity touched down early Monday , and the foot of Mount Sharp -- the rover 's primary scientific target . Mike Malin , whose company built the camera used to shoot the scene , said the shot was `` probably not the best pointed , '' but added , `` We hope we 'll get many others . '' The brightness of the image was boosted to compensate for the dim sunlight of the martian afternoon , but the colors were untouched , NASA said . Curiosity went through its paces `` flawlessly '' on its third full day on the planet , mission manager Michael Watkins said Thursday . The rover 's mission is to determine whether Mars ever had an environment capable of supporting life , and its prime target is Mount Sharp , the 18,000-foot ( 5,500-meter ) peak about 12 kilometers ( 7.5 miles ) to the south . Curiosity opening Martian frontier ? Scientists hope the layers of rock that form the mountain will give them a timeline of the history of Mars . Curiosity mission planner Dawn Sumner said photographs like the ones beamed back by the rover , as well as others taken by probes in orbit , will be used to map a path to the mountain 's base -- `` doing the best science we can along the way , but also keeping our eyes on that beautiful layered rock , '' she said . The rover is supposed to run for two years , but a previous rover , Opportunity , has been working on Mars since 2004 -- well beyond the three months NASA planned . Opportunity 's sister rover , Spirit , ran from 2004 to 2010 . Opinion : Why I love Mars .
A 360-degree aerial panorama of the crater includes Mount Sharp . The peak is the Mars rover Curiosity 's prime target . The rover performed ` ` flawlessly '' on its third day on Mars , controllers say .