Mars rover Curiosity to start drilling Running slightly behind schedule, Curiosity was due to arrive at the site in the next few days. After an inspection of the surroundings, the car-size rover will test its drill for the first time "probably in the next two weeks," project manager Richard Cook of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory said. Opportunity is still operating on the surface of Mars, but Spirit lost contact with Earth in 2010. Since the $2.5 billion Curiosity mission launched in 2011, engineers have been troubleshooting an issue with the rover's drill in which flakes of Teflon can break off and get mixed with the rock samples. Cook said the contamination should not affect the mission. "We are reasonably confident that it's something that we'll be able to work our way around," he said. As the most high-tech interplanetary rover, Curiosity has been on a slow streak since its action-packed arrival. Grotzinger said the pace of the mission was "100 percent discovery-driven" and can't be rushed. Already, Curiosity has lingered longer than expected at its current location because scientists have been captivated by the sedimentary rocks that differ from the pebbles found at the landing site. After some last-minute studies, the rover will head to the rock outcrop dubbed "John Klein" after a mission team member who died in 2011. Curiosity's ultimate goal is to drive to the base of Mount Sharp, a six-month journey with no stops. The plan is to begin the road trip after drilling is complete with pauses along the way.