. "With the help of images taken from space, mission managers plotted a path that was mostly straight with not a lot of boulders, steep slopes and other potential obstacles.Still, the drive was expected to be rugged, but Curiosity was built to handle a few bumps, Vasavada said.Perhaps the trickiest part will come toward the end when Curiosity will have to cross a bank of sand dunes to reach the base" . . .