Cheers, Hugs at JPL in Pasadena, Calif. – NASA’s Curiosity Rover Lands on Mars
CALIFORNIA celebrated another type of Olympic victory on August 5, 2012 when the latest mission to Mars met cheers, high-fives and hugs at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Mission Support Area in Pasadena. Technicians, engineers and scientists in charge of making a 354 million-mile flight from Earth to Mars work, hugged each other when an Atlas V rocket entered the Martian atmosphere and released its payload. A remote-controlled, 1-ton vehicle equipped with a laser that can vaporize rocks, ingest soil, and determine whether Mars was ever inhabited by smaller forms of life alerted scientists at 10:31 p.m. that it landed according to plan. The $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory and Curiosity rover launched the next phase of human exploration when it began transmitting images of Mars last night for scientists to study. Its arrival opens the door for future space exploration and may offer an exciting glimpse into our past. Unlike previous missions, Curiosity is a much larger land rover with more sophisticated testing equipment, and it is powered by nuclear fuel expected to keep it operating for years to come. Updates: nasa.gov
Note* The right photo was taken on Earth. The man shown in the picture didn’t get to go on the trip to Mars!
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