Mars rover at JPL

JPL’s John Grotzinger, center left, and other scientists take pictures during the surface science and sampling end-to-end thread test of the Mars rover. (Patrick T. Fallon / Los Angeles Times)

July 22, 2012 11:23 AM PT

Mars rover at the Mars Science Laboratory inside the In-Situ Instruments Lab at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

JPL’s Joseph Carsten and Vandi Tompkin watch from underneath the rover during the testing. (Patrick T. Fallon / Los Angeles Times)

Megan Wu and Leslie Lipkaman of Malin Space Science Systems relax after a long night of running sequences to be loaded onto the rover during testing. (Patrick T. Fallon / Los Angeles Times)

JPL’s John Grotzinger observes the drill arm as it prepare to dig into a rock sample. (Patrick T. Fallon / Los Angeles Times)

JPL’s Joseph Carsten, a rover driver and flight software developer, cozies up to the aluminum wheel of the rover. (Patrick T. Fallon / Los Angeles Times)

An aluminum wheel supports the rover during the testing. (Patrick T. Fallon / Los Angeles Times)

JPL’s Vandi Tompkin, a rover driver and flight software bug tester, has a front-row seat to the testing. (Patrick T. Fallon / Los Angeles Times)