PASADENA, Calif. (CNN) – NASA’s $2.6 billion rover, Curiosity, successfully touched down on the surface of Mars early Monday.
Mission control in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California burst into cheers when Curiosity landed.
The SUV-sized spacecraft made its dramatic arrival on Martian terrain in a spectacle popularly known as the “seven minutes of terror.” Scientists have been waiting a long time for this moment: since November 26th of last year.
Among the tools Curiosity is carrying include 17 cameras, a laser that can survey the composition of rocks from a distance, and instruments that can analyze soil and rock samples.
