NASA unveils Mars rover Curiosity's travel plans

Undated NASA handout image shows the Mars landing site of the Curiosity rover and destinations scientists want to investigate. Curiosity landed inside Gale Crater at the green dot, within the Yellowknife quadrangle. The team has chosen for it to move toward the region marked by a blue dot that is nicknamed Glenelg. That area marks the intersection of three kinds of terrain. The science team thought the name Glenelg was appropriate because, if Curiosity traveled there, it would visit it twice -- both coming and going -- and the word Glenelg is a palindrome. Then, the rover will aim to drive to the blue spot marked ''Base of Mt. Sharp'', which is a natural break in the dunes that will allow Curiosity to begin scaling the lower reaches of Mount Sharp. REUTERS/NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Handout