Curiosity Lands on Mars

The Mars Science Lab successfully delivered the car-sized Curiosity rover to the surface of the red planet at 1:32 a.m. EDT. NASA's $2.5-billion mission involved the work of more than 5,000 people from 37 states. Curiosity is expected to revolutionize deep-space science, not only searching for indications that Mars is or was habitable, but paving the way for the next critical steps in exploration -- soil sample returns, sending astronauts to Mars, even perhaps, colonization.

Many celebrities such as hip hop hero will.I.am of the Black Eyed Peas, actor and writer Wil Wheaton of Star Trek The Next Generation and the Big Bang Theory, actress June Lockhart of Lost In Space, Nichelle Nichols who played Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek, Jeopardy Host Alex Trebek, Seth Green of Austin Powers and Family Guy, and White House Science Advisor John Holdren were present to witness this historical event.

Did you stay up late to watch the landing? Are your children interested in space exploration? If so, a STEM career is the right fit for them.

For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/.

You can follow the mission on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity.