NASA's Rover Photographs Rock on Mars

Millions of miles from Earth, and NASA's Curiosity rover is busy taking pictures of a Martian landscape.

New images of the red planet have been released, captured by the rover at the beginning of August.

They show the view of Mount Sharp, which Curiosity will visit in several months’ time.

But before the slow trek gets underway, the rover has identified its first target.

The rock, circled to the left of the picture, will be zapped by Curiosity's on-board lab.

The vaporized material will then be analyzed to determine its chemical composition.

The experiment will form part of the rover's two year mission to search for signs of life on Mars.