Crisp noted today that once Curiosity once again picks up its trek to Glenelg, scientists are hoping to find some interesting rocks along the way.

If they find a fine-grained rock that is embedded in the ground and has a horizontal surface, they'll stop and study it. However, scientists figure they won't use the rover's drill until it reaches Glenelg.

The car-sized, nuclear-powered machine is on what NASA hopes will be at least a two-year mission.

It is equipped with 10 scientific instruments and offers the most advanced payload of scientific gear ever used on the surface of Mars, including chemistry instruments, environmental sensors and radiation monitors.

This scene shows the wheels and track marks left by the rover Curiosity as it drove on the surface of Mars. For scale, Curiosity leaves parallel tracks about 9 feet apart. (Image: NASA/JPL)