Scandore explained that the updated software was uploaded to the rover while it was still traveling through space on its way to Mars. It's been sitting dormant for the last few months and NASA engineers will begin to activate it on Saturday.

Before then, though, they are busily testing Curiosity's two computers, along with other systems, to make sure everything is ready for the update.

Once the update begins, it will take two days to upgrade the software on the main computer and then another two days to upgrade the backup computer.

"We'll tell it to activate a sequence to start the load, then we go out of contact [with the rover] and it's gone for about eight hours," Scandore said. "We start the upgrade. It will perform a series of steps and then it will turn itself off. It will wake itself up the next day and there's a down link to see what was done the day before."

Scandore said they've long been working on this upgrade and have tested and worked it until it's become routine, but he's still a bit anxious about the actual load.