NASA'S Mars rover soon will be heading to Glenelg - that's Glenelg on the red planet, not the popular Adelaide bayside suburb of Glenelg.
NASA has decided to name its first Mars destination "Glenelg" - a site 400m away from the spot where the Curiosity rover successfully landed earlier this month - and is set to reach it some time in September.
The NASA website says: "The science team thought the name Glenelg was appropriate because, if Curiosity travelled there, it would visit the area twice - both coming and going - and the word Glenelg is a palindrome."
However, it is not clear whether NASA had our Bay in mind or the isolated Scottish village of the same name. Jokes about possible sister city relationships are already flitting about within Holdfast Bay Council.
Where the Mars probe landed on Mars and the distance to Glenelg. Picture: NASA/Wikipedia
However, any interplanetary exchange programs with Martians would likely be well out of the reach of local ratepayers given the Curiosity mission's $2.6 billion price tag.
Glenelg ward councillor Bob Fisk said the global interest in the latest Mars mission meant people all over the world would be googling Glenelg and finding out about the Bay - which could lead to possible tourism spin-offs, Mr Fisk said.
Scientists are interested in the Martian Glenelg because it appears to be the intersection of three different types of rocky terrain.
One of the first high-resolution colour photographs of Mars sent back by Curiosity. Picture: AP/NASA
It may be the first site the rover drills for rock samples.
Curiosity will then head for a place called Mt Sharp, a journey of several months where it will scratch around in the dirt, dust and soil.
Although Mars is now a desert planet, millions of years ago its surface was carved by oceans, lakes and waterfalls.
One of the first high-resolution colour photographs of Mars sent back by Curiosity. Picture: AP/NASA
Chemical analysis of the samples collected by Curiosity should reveal whether Mars ever had the organic materials that could support life and may help answer one of the greatest questions of science: is life unique to Earth or did it exist elsewhere in the Solar System?
Science fiction writers have speculated about intelligent Martians since Victorian times.
The spot where Curiosity landed was named after famed science fiction author Ray Bradbury.
One of the first high-resolution colour photographs of Mars sent back by Curiosity. Picture: AP/NASA
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Music that stimulates Curiosity
WE ALL need a little pick-me-up before we go about our busy day - and the Mars rover Curiosity is no different.
Some of us drink coffee. Others do yoga. Curiosity has music.
Before setting off to explore the dusty plains of the vast, red planet, the rover revs up with a few tunes.
The songs in its ballast include Good Morning, Good Morning by The Beatles, the Star Trek theme, Florence and the Machine's Cosmic Love and Louis Armstrong's When You Wish Upon A Star. And it got first dibs on will.i.am's new single.
Reach for the Stars was played through Curiosity's speakers in an attempt to influence the musical tastes of any Martians with a liking for hip-hop. Earthlings can be in tune with Curiosity by listening to the songs on Spotify.
Jet Propulsion Laboratories, which is monitoring Curiosity's progress, has the playlist on its website.
NASA has previously made available the music playlists its astronauts listen to while they are in space.
Last year, ordinary folk were allowed to choose some of the songs astronauts woke up to during the final space shuttle mission.
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