NASA spent a fortune on the Curiosity rover — and it's a good thing they didn't hold back on the on-board camera. The agency just released incredibly detailed photos of Mars that make us feel like we're there.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

"Curiosity's science team has been thrilled to go on this road trip through a bit of the American desert Southwest on Mars," shared Ashwin Vasavada, a Curiosity project scientist.

The images captured by the rover were snapped just last September 8. They show sharp and colorful photos of the Murray Buttes region, inside the Red Planet's giant Gale crater.

According to Vasavada, the Curiosity scientists learned that ancient sand dunes in Mars were "formed and were buried, chemically changed by groundwater, exhumed and eroded to form the landscape that we see today."

The photos released are just teasers. NASA plans to show us more as Curiosity explores extensive mountains and rockier terrains. If they keep this up, it might not be long before we have a full view of our sister planet.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

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