NASA welcomes striking new views from the red planet after Mars rover nails ... - Washington Post

Extraordinary efforts were needed for the landing because the rover weighs one ton, and the thin Martian atmosphere offers little friction to slow a spacecraft down. Curiosity had to go from 13,000 mph to zero in seven minutes, unfurling a parachute, then firing rockets to brake. In a Hollywood-style finish, cables delicately lowered it to the ground at 2 mph.As thumbnails of the video flashed on a big screen on Monday, scientists and engineers at the NASA Jet Propulsion let out &ldquo;oohs&rdquo; and &ldquo;aahs.&rdquo; The recording began with the protective heat shield falling away and ended with dust being kicked up as the rover was lowered by cables inside an ancient crater.<br />http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/nasa-welcomes-striking-new-views-from-the-red-planet-after-mars-rover-nails-the-landing/2012/08/31/f3094552-e025-11e1-8d48-2b1243f34c85_story.html