NASA has set up a live stream of this seminal event and it is fascinating. The rover is set to land on Mars at 1:31 AM ET today, Monday. Watch the mission live on NASA's stream.
Watch the livestream:
The landing includes a so-called “seven minutes of terror,” followed by confirmation of a safe landing in the form of a computer-code beep (it's the end of "Say Anything" all over again), followed by black and white photos just a few minutes after the landing. early Wednesday morning, we're expected to have our first high-resolution color photographs. This is is the first mission to look for extraterrestrial life on Mars since the 1970s, and is the most expensive mission to another planet ever undertaken.
UPDATE 1:38 AM ET: We have landed on Mars and have received Curiosity's first photo!
UPDATE 1:44 AM ET: NASA is very, very, very happy right now.
