Future of Mars Exploration May Ride on NASA's Rover Landing

By Leonard David, Space.com, 08.04.12 "It's a question of focus … a question of will.  The way to get to Mars is to decide to do it." - Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin The excitement, tension and anxiety is palpable here as NASA’s huge Mars rover Curiosity nears its daring dive onto the Red Planet. The $2.5 billion rover is on track to land via a rocket-powered sky crane on Sunday, Aug. 5, at 10:31 p.m. PDT (1:31 a.m. EDT, 0531 GMT on Monday) to begin NASA's two-year Mars Science Laboratory mission. Given the complexity of the rover's entry, descent and landing – portrayed as "seven minutes of terror – a worrisome view is to add "enter miracle here" as part of that touchdown mantra, some say. To read the full article, please click here. [Image: NASA]