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NASA's latest, greatest Mars rover Curiosity survived 7 suspenseful minutes of terror through the atmosphere of Mars and landed safely and soundly on the planet's surface. Phew.
And then like any self-respecting Angeleno on a trip to a faraway land, it started snapping photos the second it landed and tweeted them out. Curiosity announced itself this way on Twitter:
I'm safely on the surface of Mars. GALE CRATER I AM IN YOU!!! #MSL
— Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) August 6, 2012
We've included the first of many photos from where Curiosity landed.
Credit goes to the hard-working members of the MSL team who spent a decade on the project and then superstitiously grew mutton chops, carried around lucky trinkets and styled this amazing mohawk just in case the hard work wasn't enough to ensure Curiosity's safety.
There's still a press conference going on through the USTREAM with lots of puns referencing the rover's name (example: "Our Curiosity knows no limits"), national pride and sometimes both ("Long live, American Curiosity!"):
Streaming live video by Ustream
Related:
'Curiosity' Jets Off to Rove the Red Planet in Search of Little Green Men Conditions for Life
