Touchdown! Curiosity lands on Mars
In the late hours of Aug. 5, 2012, the School of Earth and Space Exploration celebrated the successful landing of NASA’s most advanced Mars rover, Curiosity. The one-ton, Mini Cooper-sized rover touched down on Mars to begin a two-year voyage helping scientists learn about the Red Planet. Several professors and researchers, including alumni and students, are involved in the mission.
“We’ll learn about the Red Planet’s watery past, but most importantly, we’ll learn a lot about the history of habitable environments not only on Mars, but on our own planet, as well.” – professor Jim Bell, member of the teams operating the rover’s cameras, Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) and MastCam
