Fashion Week has begun in New York , but for space enthusiasts , the most exciting glamor shots are coming from Mars . The much-celebrated rover Curiosity has so far strutted 109 meters ( 358 feet ) on the surface of the Red Planet , according to its odometer , and she 's looking great , NASA scientists say . The 2000-pound SUV-sized rover has been on the surface of Mars for about one month , and operating as expected . `` There have been no significant anomalies or wild cards thrown in where the performance on Mars differed significantly from the Earth , '' said Michael Watkins , Curiosity mission manager at NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at a news briefing Thursday . `` That 's a real testament to the engineers that developed the system . '' A new photo from the rover 's camera on the mast shows off the rover 's arm against the spectacular Martian landscape . On the arm is the MAHLI camera , with resolution so great that it can resolve down to the grain of talcum powder , said Aileen Yingst at Thursday 's NASA news briefing . Yingst is the deputy principal investigator for Curiosity 's Mars Hand Lens Imager at the Planetary Science Institute , Tucson . All that separated this camera 's lens from the Martian environment was a dust cover , which appears to be intact . That means even higher-resolution images from the Red Planet may come through soon . `` We 're just completely and totally enthralled and excited by this image , '' Yingst said . What we 've done on Mars , and what 's next . Another new photo shows the rover 's tracks from its first drives on Mars , as seen from the HiRISE camera on NASA 's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter . Scientists can get insights about how changes on the Martian surface , as dust is deposited , by examining these tracks over time . HiRISE also took an image of the parachute and back shell that helped Curiosity arrive safely . Curiosity made a dramatic landing on August 6 in a complicated maneuver involving a large parachute and a sky crane . Scientists and fans watched the live NASA feed from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as mission specialists confirmed the touchdown . The landing site has been dubbed Bradbury Landing after science fiction author Ray Bradbury . Premiering a song -- from Mars . In the interim , researchers have been checking out the many different instruments on board Curiosity . The rover also did a test drive in August and has moved away from the landing site . Now , everything except for the arm and sampling system is already operational , scientists said . The rover is currently 82 meters ( 269 feet , measured as the crow flies ) from Bradbury Landing . It will remain there for about another week while scientists continue testing . In about a month , scientists plan to have Curiosity scoop up some Martian material . Because the rover is taking images as it goes , planners can determine whether it 's making progress and how much slippage there is . It appears that there is very little slippage going on , Watkins said . How driving a rover works : Meet Scott Maxwell . Curiosity 's next destination is Glenelg , a site with three types of terrain , including layered bedrock , that may be a prime target for drilling . Ultimately , the rover will end up at Mount Sharp , about 3 miles high and composed of hundreds of layers of rock that built up over time . As the rover climbs , it will sample different layers to investigate signs that life could have once existed on Mars . Follow complete coverage of the Mars rover .
Scientists are n't seeing major 'wild cards ' in rover performance . Dust cover on high-resolution camera appears to be intact . Sampling of Martian material may begin in about a month . Comment: