NASA

Check out an amazing panoramic photo Opportunity was able to take of an area of Mars called ’Greeley Haven’ here.

After an eight month journey, NASA’s multi-billion dollar rover Curiosity made a successful landing on Mars early this morning. Mission controllers cheered after the six-wheeled, one-ton machine made a perilous seven-minute landing involving a parachute, rocket pack and sky crane.

Early Monday morning, NASA’s $2.5 billion Curiosity rover safely landed on Mars after eight months of interplanetary travel. The car-sized, one-ton rover now begins a two-year mission of exploration and discovery as it roams the surface of the red planet.

Imagine being an astronaut on a mission who’s stuck with the same old food for weeks or months (it’s not like you can call out for pizza). Like most people who are faced with similar dining choices day after day, you’d likely eat less — and that’s a concern for scientists. So they’re recruiting volunteers to help them test out edible fare in preparation for a future mission.

Some people may think climate change is just a myth, but there’s no arguing with this: NASA scientists say the earth’s surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest since 1880. What’s more, nine of the 10 warmest years in modern recorded history have occurred since the year 2000.