Curiosity also has to contend with distance constraints. While Mount Sharp is only about 8km away from Curiosity's landing site as the crow flies, NASA says the rover will actually travel a few kilometers more because it will have to drive around obstacles.

The rover can only travel about 100 yards, or the length of a football field, each day. That means it will take around 100 days for the rover to get to Mount Sharp, sampling stops notwithstanding.

High Tech Avionics Were a Big Challenge

got a "brain transplant" this weekend in which it received a new version of flight software that's better suited for working on the surface of Mars, such as driving and using Curiosity's powerful robotic arm and drill. It also gives the rover better image processing ability so it can avoid obstacles while driving as well as go on longer drives.

"I like to think of it as an intellectual upgrade, since the brain remains the same," said Avionics Systems Lead Jim Donaldson, who spent several minutes giving a jargon-filled description of what Curiosity's avionics do.