The science rover Curiosity sends more photos from the surface of Mars.

NASA released the photos, including a panoramic full colour image.

During a news conference in California, NASA officials said the new images were crucial to understanding the Martian landscape.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DAWN SUMNER, NASA SCIENTIST, LONG-TERM PLANNING LEAD SAYING:

"This was one that when compiling the maps it was very difficult to determine what it was. And so the images-- the Navcam and Mastcam images have given us our first sense of what the terrain is like and we are now discussing what it means in the broader context, ways that it might have formed, what observations we can make to understand how it formed."

Curiosity's primary mission is to search for signs of life on the planet most similar to Earth.

Scientists expect it will be weeks until Curiosity begins roving and months before it heads to a three mile high mountain.