`` Find us a sandbox , '' engineers asked scientists . Scientists were looking for a `` boring '' and `` safe '' Martian sand dune for this purpose to make sure that it would n't do something weird such as turn to paste or absorb water , Limonadi said . Curiosity will scoop up sand for mineral analysis and to clean some hardware . The rover is expected to spend the next two years exploring Gale Crater, which contains many layers of sedimentary rock that formed from water flowing over millions of years.
`` Find us a sandbox , '' engineers asked scientists . Curiosity will scoop up sand for mineral analysis and to clean some hardware . The rover is expected to spend the next two years exploring Gale Crater, which contains many layers of sedimentary rock that formed from water flowing over millions of years.