ITWire

Glenelg, or Glenelg Intrigue, is a location east-southeast of the landing site, earlier named Bradbury Landing in honor of writer Ray Bradbury.

The trip by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), or Curiosity rover, will be about one 400 meters (1,300 feet), or about one-fourth of a mile.

The trip is being taken because the science team wants to analyze layered bedrock, which is located at Glenelg.

The rover will use its drill to dig down into the Martian surface. The German-built drill is nicknamed “The Mole”. It can drill up to 16 feet into the Martian ground.

Curiosity project scientist John Grotzinger, who is associated with the California Institute of Technology, described the Glenelg site on August 17, 2012, within the NASA article NASA Curiosity Team Pinpoints Site for First Drive.

Grotzinger stated, "With such a great landing spot in Gale Crater, we literally had every degree of the compass to choose from for our first drive. We had a bunch of strong contenders.”

And, “It is the kind of dilemma planetary scientists dream of, but you can only go one place for the first drilling for a rock sample on Mars. That first drilling will be a huge moment in the history of Mars exploration."