NASA said its famous Curiosity rover won't be at the Pahrump Hills on Mars by mid-August.

Unexpected driving challenges in the sand prompted Curiosity to reverse course last week after entering a valley, NASA explained. Pahrump Hills is an outcrop at the base layer of Mount Sharp inside the Gale Crater.

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Ashwin Vasvada, one of the scientists with the Curiosity mission team, said Bonanza King rocks are just the same as those at Pahrump Hills. Bonanza King is a rock that looks like a paving stone.  

Scientists believe studying these rocks will help them better understand the Gale Crater and Mount Sharp.

Mount Sharp, Curiosity's target destination, is located inside the Gale Crater. This Martian mountain is believed to hold evidence about the environmental changes that occurred on Mars.

According to scientists, the three rocks Curiosity drilled have been associated with the crater floor and not with the mountain.

A drill sample from Bonanza King may shed some light about how environments vary and evolve on Mars.

Vasavada said the rocks had a different appearance from sandstones they've seen through the past several months. The landscape is changing and that's worth checking out, he added.

To date, NASA is planning to compress the multi-day schedule of rover activities that are involved in collecting drilled rock samples and delivering samples for onboard analysis.

NASA explained the plan requires adjustment of staffing levels over several days due to the complexity of rover activities.

The needed staffing had been slated for mid-August in anticipation of Curiosity getting to Pahrump Hills.

Vasavada said they originally considered postponing the first condensed drilling and consider other possible drilling targets, but changed their mind when they saw Bonanza King.

This outcrop is too appealing to pass, he added.