NASA’s Curiosity rover completed its second Martian year – 687 Earth days – on May 11, meaning that its instruments have now tasted the red planet’s tendencies for two full orbits of the sun.

This allows scientists to begin separating unique events from those that recur year by year, laying the foundation for an understanding of seasonal variations in a host of different characteristics.

The fresh insights come at a time when talk of a manned mission to Mars is edging away from the arena of science fiction and towards the realm of human endeavor.