Yellowknife Bay, Mars the Glenelg member and began its journey to Mount Sharp. NASA scientists estimated this drive would take the rover a year to complete. Yellowknife Bay, Mars Yellowknife Bay is a geologic formation in Gale Crater on the planet Mars. NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Rover, named "Curiosity", arrived at the low lying depression on December 17, 2012, 125 sols, or martian days, into its 668 sol planned mission on the planet. Primary mission goals of the Mars Science Laboratory were to assess the potential habitability of the planet and whether or not the Martian environment is, or has ever been, capable
Mars sample-return mission request of NASA and the NSF, declared a MSR campaign its highest priority Flagship Mission for that period. In particular, it endorsed the proposed Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher (MAX-C) mission in a "descoped" (less ambitious) form, although this mission plan was officially cancelled in April 2011. In September 2012, the United States' Mars Program Planning Group endorsed a sample-return after evaluating long-term Mars' plans. The key mission requirement for the planned Mars 2020 rover is that it must help prepare NASA for its MSR campaign. which is needed before any crewed mission takes place. Such effort would require three additional vehicles: