MSL Artist's Rendering, Courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech

History was made the night of August 5th with perfect execution of an autonomous landing sequence to bring the Mars Science Laboratory safely to the surface of Mars. After leaving Earth November 26, 2011 and traveling 352 million miles, the Mars Science Laboratory will study whether the Gale Crater area of Mars has evidence of past and present habitable environments. This is part of a broader examination of past and present processes in the Martian atmosphere and on its surface.

It is only through excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) that such a mission could be successfully accomplished. The California Space Grant Consortium works in the STEM fields to engage, inspire, educate, and train the STEM workforce of today and the future.

For more information please visit the NASA JPL Mars Science Laboratory website.

To read President Obama’s statement on the successful landing, please click here.

To read reflections from California Space Grant students attending the JPL Mars Science Laboratory landing party, please click here.