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The most advanced spacecraft ever sent to another planet landed on Mars today courtesy of NASA. The Curiosity rover is a nuclear powered automated rover, the size of a car. Curiosity landed on the Martian surface just after 11:30pm MST last night (01:31am EST) and began sending back data immediately. The rover showed those in control photos of it's wheels on the surface of the Gale Crater near the equator of Mars. Not only is the new rover the most advanced thing sent to another planet, so are the scientific instruments. The rover is expected to change the way we understand Mars and if it currently has or once had extraterrestrial life. President Obama said the rover will "Stand as a point of national pride far into the future." Adding the landing proves that "even the longest odds are no match for our unique blend of ingenuity and determination." The Curiosity rover comes with a price tag of $2.5 billion dollars and will study the Martian climate and geology to pave the way for a human mission to Mars. President Obama previously set a manned Martian mission target for sometime in the 2030's. The private company SpaceX which recently had launches and reached the International Space Station shares the goal of missions to Mars.

 

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