A look back: The drilling campaign of the curiosity rover during the Mars science Laboratory's Prime Mission

•Curiosity is first robotic drill deployed to another planet since Venera missions.•During first Martian year successfully drilled three full depth drill holes.•Discovered Gale Crater may have once been amenable to Earth-like organisms.•Determined first absolute age date of Martian surface.•Made possible first definitive detection of organic matter on Mars.