Curiosity

I will readily admit I am a space junkie. I can't get enough of NASA both past and present. So I watched very closely the results of the recent landing of the Mars Science Laboratory, and it's rover, Curiosity.

On landing day, I watched picture after picture released, and was blown away. However, the good pics were still a few days away. I didn't think anything could be more amazing than the pic above. That was taken from Mars orbit by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It just happened to catch the main chutes deployed as Curiosity floated to the surface!!! Seriously, what are the odds they get this pic? This was followed by beautiful color HD pics of the surrounding environment, and amazing tests of the science equipment. They are targeting a laser for chemical analysis of samples for chrissakes!

This may be the most amazing thing yet. Click the video below to see an HD color video of the ACTUAL LANDING! You see the heat shield fall away and the surface of Mars comes up fast as the lander floats down on a parachute. suddenly, the image stabilizes as the landing rockets fire. You can even see the rocket blast on the surface. Just incredible.