Mars Rover Curiosity's Landing Day at JPL (Photos)

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Celebration

Mike Wall/SPACE.com

NASA officials and leaders of Curiosity's mission celebrate at a press conference after the rover landed successfully on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012.

Systems Engineer Bobak Ferdowsi

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Systems Engineer Bobak Ferdowsi is seen reacting after the MSL rover Curiosity successfully landed on Mars, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Ferdowski is known for changing his hair style for each mission or big event at JPL.

Mars Science Laboratory Celebration

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Entry, Descent and Landing Engineer Adam Steltzner hugs another MSL team member after the Curiosity rover successfully landed on Mars, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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