NASA scientists will still be choosing a lot of Curiosity's targets the old fashioned way, but the new feature lets the rover to collect additional data without human intervention. "This autonomy is particularly useful at times when getting the science team in the loop is difficult or impossible," Tara Estlin, NASA's leader of AEGIS development at JPL said in a statement. "In the middle of a long drive, perhaps, or when the schedules of Earth, Mars and spacecraft activities lead to delays in sharing information between the planets."

Dynamite with a Laser Beam: I can now choose rocks to zap with ChemCam on my own. #pewpew https://t.co/LykbkDIJmM pic.twitter.com/lBifknxhdZ — Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) July 21, 2016

That said, Curiosity isn't completely independent: the rover's software will choose targets based on criteria provided by the science team. Those parameters will change depending on where the rover is. Still, it's pretty amazing that the Rover is driving around Mars, choosing to shoot rocks with lasers (almost) all on its own. The little guy is growing up.