Mars Touchdown Confirmed

Curiosity beaming pics after '7 minutes of terror'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 5, 2012 11:47 PM CDT
Updated Aug 6, 2012 7:00 AM CDT
Mars Rover Coming in for a Landing
Engineers work inside the Spaceflight Operations Facility prior to the landing of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover.   (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Brian van der Brug, Pool)

The Curiosity rover landed safely on Mars early this morning, prompting whoops of joy and relief in NASA's mission control center, reports the New York Times. The rover quickly beamed back a picture of its own shadow cast on the surface of the Red Planet. "Touchdown confirmed. We are safe on the surface of Mars!" the team read out after receiving signals from the rover.

After a journey of 354 million miles, the rover, which is much bigger and more complex than previous models, had to land in a new way that could never be fully tested on Earth, leading to what control room staff described as "seven minutes of terror" before confirmation was received, notes the Washington Post. As earlier reported, the spacecraft ferrying it had to rely on a supersonic parachute to slow it from 13,200mph to about 1.7mph; with seconds to go, the rover was then lowered to the surface using three nylon tethers and retro rockets. (More Curiosity stories.)

Get breaking news in your inbox.
What you need to know, as soon as we know it.
Sign up
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X