Countdown to MSL/Curiosity

It’s Friday and the anticipation for the landing of the biggest Mars rover ever is heating up! There are social gatherings all across the country with #NASASocials kicking off at JPL, NASA Ames, Kennedy and Johnson Space Centers, and others. NASA has launched several rovers to Mars over the last few years and the famed twins, Opportunity and Spirit, far outlived their mission lifeline. We lost communication with Spirit in May of 2011 but Opportunity is still going strong sending images back to Earth and allowing us to get a comprehensive view of what’s on Mars.

With MSL (Mars Science Laboratory) the Curiosity rover will take on an even more ambitious mission; looking for signs of life on the red planet! Wherever you may be on Monday, August 5 nearing the wee hours of the morning, make sure you are either with a group of space enthusiasts, with friends who share an interest in planetary exploration or are just curious about the breath holding landing and the images that will follow from the eyes of Curiosity.

Stay tuned as I cover and host events locally in the Chicago area. If you haven’t seen the NASA video 7 Minutes of Terror, catch it below and get ready to hold on to your seats for the actual landing of Curiosity.