Curiosity and Gale Crater's ancient lake (2012-2015)
NASA's Curiosity rover landed in Gale Crater in August 2012. By late 2013 it had found evidence of an ancient freshwater lake on the crater floor, and by 2014 confirmed the lake persisted for long stretches of early Mars history.
NASA confirmed Gale Crater once hosted a habitable environment.
Curiosity later detected organic molecules in 2018, building the incremental case for early Mars habitability.
Shows how Mars rover discoveries build evidence of past water and habitability step by step; Jezero's three water systems add a new layer to that record.
