NASA did it. In a stunningly perfect landing, they did what the Russians have failed to do nineteen times in a row: land a craft on Mars. But no matter, the whole world gets to share in this endeavor. In what was surely the most complicated maneuver imagined for a planetary mission, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL, aka. Curiosity) stuck the landing with Olympic grace. It now has a few days to wake up, get the electronics working, and start puttering around the Red Planet. With an onboard plutonium battery, the Jeep-sized rover may be able to keep roving for the next decade or two. Excellent work, NASA.
