With the Mars Curiosity rover’s science instruments working well, NASA engineers are getting ready for two big tests of their robotic rover — blasting a rock with a laser beam and getting the rover moving.

Curiosity’s first drive will be a very short one. Before the rover starts any meaningful trek across the Martian surface, scientists will first simply drive it forward and back in the landing area, to test the wheels and motor system, according to John Grotzinger, a project scientist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a geology professor at the California Institute of Technology.

This full-resolution self-portrait shows the deck of NASA’s Curiosity rover from the rover’s Navigation camera. The back of the rover can be seen at the top left, and two of the rover’s right side wheels can be seen on the left. The undulating rim of Gale Crater forms the lighter color strip in the background. Bits of gravel, about 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) in size, are visible on the deck of the rover. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

This full-resolution self-portrait shows the deck of NASA’s Curiosity rover from the rover’s Navigation camera. The back of the rover can be seen at the top left, and two of the rover’s right side wheels can be seen on the left. The undulating rim of Gale Crater forms the lighter color strip in the background. Bits of gravel, about 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) in size, are visible on the deck of the rover. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

“The excitement from the science team is that all the instruments continue to check out,” he said during a press call Friday. “If we continue down the nominal path, it’s probably going to be a couple of days. Sometime next week you’ll hear about successful tests of the first wheel motions.”

Once the wheels are successfully tested, scientists will continue to plot out Curiosity’s first real trek, which will take it west toward an area NASA has dubbed Glenelg.

“The Glenelg area — it simply looks distinctive and interesting,” said Grotzinger. “It looks cool. Let’s go there and see what’s there.”

It is expected to take the rover three to four weeks to reach Glenelg unless the rover encounters rocks or soil that scientists want it to stop and analyze. Once it reaches its first destination, Grotzinger said the rover will probably spend about two months analyzing that area.

Toward the end of the year, NASA engineers will begin to have Curiosity move toward Mount Sharp, a three-mile high mountain in the middle of Gale Crater, where the rover landed. Mount Sharp is a primary area of interest for the scientists who are hoping to discover if Mars has ever been able to support microbial life.

However, before the rover begins heading to Glenelg, scientists want to test its laser.

The rest is here: