On Monday morning at approximately 1:32 Eastern, the new rover Curiosity after a flight through the planet's atmosphere that NASA dubbed “seven minutes of terror.” The state-of-the-art exploratory vehicle will photograph and take samples to see if there were ever conditions on the planet that could have supported life. Here's a bit more on Curiosity's journey, by the numbers.
: Initial amount of money NASA spent to launch the rover in the fall of 2009. The rover was not ready, and the agency had to wait 26 months for the proper alignment of Mars and Earth for the next launch opportunity. In all, it spent roughly $2.5 billion.
: Miles Curiosity had to travel over eight months to get to Mars.
: Lines of computer code needed to take the craft from a speed of to a hover of above the ground to a landing on the ground at via a crane, transitions all helped by that tethered lines, jettisoned parts, and moved valves. (Estimated numbers for that “seven minutes of terror” landing in graphic below.)
: Diameter of the crater where Curiosity landed. NASA employees will test the rover's parts before moving the craft. The rover will take pictures, take samples of rock and gas, and test for elements that show the planet could have harbored life. The rover landed at the at the base of a mountain where water may have been present in the soil. It may where no water is believed to have altered the sediment. The goal is to see how and whether from a wet environment that may have supported life to a dry environment.
First picture taken by the rover. Photo: NASA/JPL
: Top speed of the Mini Cooper-sized, one-ton craft.
: Distance the rock-pulverizing laser on board can travel. After the rock is pulverized, the rover will be able to test for the release of gas. It will also be able to take in and analyze samples in a special unit that can test for different elements.
: Approximate weight of the plutonium fuel source that will power the craft's 10 different types of instruments, which include , , , and other monitoring equipment.
: Planned duration of power for the mission, although some believe the fuel source may allow the rover to operate for up to a decade.
: Number of characters and spaces used by President Obama on Twitter to announce NASA's success in landing Curiosity.
: Approximate cost every American citizen paid to have a chance to view the landing live online, based on the cost of the mission, Charles Elachi, the director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (video below).
—Joe Spring