During a press conference, Watkins reported that scientists had raised the rover's high-gain antenna, which will be used to communicate directly with Earth. So far, NASA has communicated with Curiosity by using orbiters to relay information back and forth.

He said the antenna has been deployed, has a range of motion and is in good shape. The only catch was that it's not pointed directly toward Earth so direct communications still aren't working. Engineers hope to fix that Wednesday.

Several sensors have been tested, along with a camera on top of the mast, which is still stowed. This camera, which is pointing north, took a color image of the landscape. The image looks murky because the dust cover is still on the camera lens.

NASA also released photos and video sent back from Mars. One photo taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows what scientists jokingly called the "crime scene" photo. It shows the rover surrounded by the landing sites of several of its components, such as its heat shield, parachute and sky crane.

The mast, which rises to about 7 feet above the ground, carries seven of the rover's 17 cameras. The mast also carries a laser that will be used to zap rocks. The rover's instruments will then analyze the resulting dust and vapor to see if the rock is interesting enough to study up close.