2. Mars Rover Curiosity
On August 5th, the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft cut through the Martian atmosphere, deployed a supersonic parachute, and lowered the Curiosity rover from a hovering, retro-rocket-powered platform, placing it gently on the surface. The mind-boggling sequence of events, nicely dramatized in the viral video “7 Minutes of Terror,” went down perfectly, marking the beginning of the mission’s geological exploration of Gale Crater. Over the next several months, the car-sized machine underwent deliberate testing and tentative drives to make sure the payload was in working order. In the process, the science team found small organic molecules (of uncertain origin) and evidence of ancient water flow “somewhere between ankle and hip deep,” according to co-investigator William Dietrich. In 2013, Curiosity will make its way to the towering Mount Sharp, where it will zap and sniff layered rock deposits to determine if habitable conditions once existed in Gale Crater.
Image: One of Curiosity's self portraits. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems)
