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NASA chooses Curiosity’s drill targets through a staged process: scientists identify a geological question, survey nearby rocks, examine promising candidates, and confirm that the rover can safely place its drill. The best scientific target is not automatically the best drill site; it must also be stable, accessible, and worth the rover resources required to collect a sample.
Why does Curiosity drill a rock?
A drill sample can answer questions that images and surface measurements cannot settle. Curiosity’s instruments can inspect a rock’s texture and measure elements at or near its surface, but those observations do not always reveal which minerals are present. Powder from inside a rock gives the mission team material for further analysis and can help test an interpretation of the geology.
The target is therefore chosen in the context of a scientific question, not simply because a rock looks unusual. The question might concern a change in composition along the rover’s route, a geological unit the rover has reached, or the identity of minerals suggested—but not established—by earlier measurements.
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How does the team narrow down possible drill sites?
NASA’s accounts show a sequence of science and engineering decisions. The team begins with the route and the geological problem, gathers information about candidate rocks, and then decides whether a particular rock and rover position can support drilling. The stages can overlap: a candidate that looks promising from afar may be rejected after closer inspection or a placement check.
1. Connect the target to a geological question
Curiosity’s sampling plan reflects both where the rover is going and what scientists hope to learn from the rocks along the way. A target can be valuable because it represents a change across the traverse or belongs to a geological unit that needs closer investigation. This context helps determine where the team should look before it compares the physical merits of individual rocks.
One example is the clay-sulfate transition campaign. In 2021, NASA described a plan to drill after roughly 25 meters of elevation gain, with the goal of documenting compositional changes while keeping the campaign reasonable for a rover with limited resources. The planned target was called Zechstein, in a setting where rocks could contain salty minerals. That interval was a strategy for that campaign, not a fixed spacing rule for Curiosity’s entire mission. NASA’s 2021 account of the potential Zechstein target explains the campaign context.
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2. Survey rocks remotely
Remote observations let scientists assess rocks before committing the rover’s arm and drill to one. ChemCam can fire a laser at rock or soil from as far as about 7 meters (23 feet). The laser creates a small plasma, and ChemCam analyzes its light to identify chemical elements. NASA/JPL described the measurements as a way to help the team decide which targets merit closer analysis and possible drilling. The distance is a reported capability, not a promise that every target will be measured from that range. NASA/JPL’s ChemCam description explains the remote laser analysis.
A remote elemental reading can help distinguish candidates, but it is not a complete mineral identification. That distinction mattered in the 2025 boxwork campaign: changes in APXS and ChemCam readings provided evidence of geochemical differences, while leaving the mineral assemblage unresolved. A drill sample was selected to address that remaining uncertainty.
3. Examine promising candidates at close range
Curiosity’s arm can bring instruments close to a target. MAHLI takes detailed images that help scientists inspect minerals, textures, and structures. APXS and ChemCam can add chemical measurements. The exact set of observations depends on the target and campaign; the instruments contribute different kinds of evidence rather than supplying a single definitive “drill here” result. NASA’s Curiosity interactive describes the rover’s science instruments.
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The first drilling area at John Klein illustrates why the team may examine several locations. NASA documented four targets considered there. Brock Inlier was examined with APXS and MAHLI. Wernecke was brushed and studied with APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam. Thundercloud was used for a drill “percuss on rock” checkout. The final Drill location was also examined with APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam. This sequence shows that choosing a site involved comparing and preparing candidates, not simply picking the most striking-looking patch. NASA’s annotated John Klein drill-area account identifies the locations and observations.
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A scientifically useful rock still has to withstand the operation. NASA described a 2023 search in which the team favored large, flat, thick blocks that had not fractured or shifted when the rover drove over them. The team discussed multiple possible sites, selected a favorite, and kept other blocks as backups. Stability matters because the drill must press against a solid target rather than a loose or moving surface. NASA’s account of the Encanto-area drill-site search describes those selection considerations.
The rover must also be able to place the drill accurately. NASA’s placement description explains that engineers first position the drill’s two stabilizing prongs near the intended target, then assess where the prongs sit before choosing the final drill position. The check helps avoid unstable ground and pebbles that could interfere with contact. NASA’s annotated contact-point description shows this placement step.
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5. Decide whether drilling is worth the operational cost
Drilling is part of a broader campaign with limited rover time and resources. A target has to be useful enough to justify the work, and the team may preserve alternatives in case a preferred block or placement proves unsuitable. NASA’s accounts give examples of campaign planning and backup candidates, but they do not publish one universal resource threshold or fixed priority order for every target.
What does the team weigh when comparing candidates?
The examples NASA has published support several practical comparison questions. They describe considerations visible in mission decisions, not an official weighted scorecard. A target can be strong on one measure and weak on another: a scientifically valuable rock may be too unstable, while a safe drilling surface may not answer the campaign’s most important question.
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|---|---|---|
| Scientific relevance | Does this rock help answer the current geological question or document a meaningful change along the traverse? | The clay-sulfate campaign used planned sampling to track compositional change; the boxwork campaign pursued unresolved mineralogy. |
| Information gained | Can existing remote or surface observations answer the question, or is a sample needed? | In the 2025 boxwork example, APXS and ChemCam readings showed geochemical change but did not establish mineralogy. |
| Physical stability | Is the block sufficiently solid and stable for a drill operation? | For the 2023 Encanto-area search, NASA described a preference for large, flat, thick blocks that had not fractured or moved under the rover. |
| Placement and access | Can the rover position its drill and stabilizing prongs on secure contact points? | The placement check evaluates the prongs near the target and helps avoid pebbles or unstable ground. |
| Campaign practicality | Does the target fit the sampling plan, and are usable alternatives available? | The 2021 clay-sulfate interval was campaign-specific; the 2023 search included backup blocks. |
Does Curiosity choose drill sites by itself?
No. NASA has described an autonomous mode for some ChemCam laser observations, but that is different from autonomous drill-site selection. AEGIS uses onboard image analysis and criteria set by scientists—for example, rock size or brightness—to select laser targets. It can help collect certain ChemCam measurements when Earth-based scientists are not immediately involved. It does not mean Curiosity independently decides where to drill. NASA/JPL’s AEGIS explanation describes the autonomous laser-target capability.
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That distinction is important because target selection involves more than recognizing a visually promising object. The team must relate observations to a geological question, assess the candidate’s surface and chemistry, and determine whether the rover can make stable contact. The published accounts describe scientists and engineers making those decisions with rover data; they do not describe an automated system ranking all possible drill locations.
What is established—and what is not—about the selection process?
NASA’s mission accounts provide concrete examples of how candidates are surveyed, compared, and checked for safe placement. They also show that decisions can depend on the campaign: sampling intervals, the reason for drilling, and the observations made before a drill attempt are not identical from one location to another.
Those accounts do not specify a formal universal formula, numerical score, or fixed set of weights that determines every drill target. It would therefore be misleading to say that Curiosity always drills the most chemically unusual rock, follows one spacing rule, or selects sites through a simple ranking algorithm. The best-supported description is a staged, science-led choice constrained by what the rover can safely reach and drill.
A newer example shows that the process continues as Curiosity enters different terrain. In an April 2026 update, NASA reported the start of a campaign at the Atacama site to characterize the first Mount Sharp layered-sulfate bedrock since the rover left boxwork terrain. Initial activities included a pre-load test on the target and repeated APXS observations coordinated with MAHLI imaging. These steps are part of assessing a new target and its setting; the update does not establish a universal procedure or a formal ranking system. NASA’s Atacama drill-target update describes those initial activities.
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