This is very cool that NASA is actually still conducting trips and experiments in space. On Sunday Night the NASA Curiosity Rover landed on the planet Mars. The rover that costed $2.6 billion dollars traveled through space and landed on the Martian surface safely and is now taking pictures of the surface on Mars. The ultimate mission of the Curiosity Rover is to determine if there is life on Mars. Or if it’s possible to conduct life on Mars. When the rover arrived at mars it had the “seven minutes of terror” which was the time Curiosity touches the top of the Martian atmosphere to the time it lands on the surface of Mars. I found some video of the pictures Curiosity took as it was landing on Mars. Very cool!
During the “seven minutes of terror” the crew was on pins and needles at mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. But they burst into cheers and were high-fiving each other as they learned the Curiosity Rover landed safely on Mars.
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was able to take a picture of the Curiosity Rover from a distance of 211 miles. At the time of the photo, Curiosity was about 2 miles above the Martian surface, still protected inside its Mars Science Laboratory back shell and heat shield.
From NASA
The video above was about the challenges of the Curiosity Rover while it was landing on Mars and while it is on Mars. If you want to see some cool photos and information from the Curiosity Rover just follow the rover on Twitter @MarsCuriosity. I hope the rover will last for a long time up there on Mars and send back some great information. Science can be cool!
Related articles
- Wow! Mars Rover Landing Spotted by Orbiting Spacecraft (space.com)
- I couldn’t believe it, myself, but this is a real picture. (wilwheaton.typepad.com)
- NASA?s Curiosity Rover Lands Safely on Mars (wired.com)
- Wow! Mars orbiter captures rover in midair (photoblog.nbcnews.com)
- Greetings From Mars! Huge NASA Rover Makes Daring Landing on Red Planet (space.com)
Categories: Geeks and Nerds Stuff
