The Mars Science Laboratory mission which began in Late November has been in its spaceflight phase for about eight months.
The $2.5 billion Laboratory which left Kennedy Space Center is scheduled to land on the small planet’s Gale Crater late Sunday or very, very early Monday, depending on your Earthbound time zone.
The Landing which is expected to take place at about 10:30 PM West Coast time, and 1:30 AM East Coast time.
NASA is ready for the “Super Bowl of planetary exploration,” said Doug McCuistion, head of the Mars exploration program at NASA headquarters.
The nuclear-powered rover is the size of a 2 door civic and is fully loaded with a weather station, scientific tools including a robotic arm, a chemistry lab, and a laser.
Watch footage of the landing on the LIVE USTREAM below:
