The Mars rover Curiosity has already sent back some preliminary photos of its newly named Bradbury Landing site. It also recently completed its first test drive, leaving its tracks in the Martian surface for the first time.

This week new images from the rover have been released. The photos show more of the surface of Mars that surrounds Curiosity. The photo above, taken with Curiosity’s 100mm MastCam, depicts Mars’ Mount Sharp. A Mars rover team member said that Mount Sharp is one of the places Curiosity will be going on its two-year mission. Check out the rest of the images below the article.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) also announced this week that the first recorded human voice has been broadcast from Mars. Curiosity radioed back the pre-recorded words of NASA Administrator Charles Bolden as he discussed the success of the mission and what it means for human exploration.

“The knowledge we hope to gain from our observation and analysis of Gale Crater will tell us much about the possibility of life on Mars as well as the past and future possibilities for our own planet,” said Bolden. “Curiosity will bring benefits to Earth and inspire a new generation of scientists and explorers, as it prepares the way for a human mission in the not too distant future.”

(Images courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)