Portion of a panoramic view of the successful first test drive for NASA's Curiosity rover (© JPL/NASA)

NASA's Curiosity rover takes its first test drive on Mars

8/22/2012

Today was a good day for NASA — on the heels of a great high-def video showing Curiosity's descent, it was the first test drive on Mars of the agency’s Curiosity rover. Well, more like test crawl. Curiosity moved forward about 15 feet, rotated and reversed a short distance. Still, that little bit was good news for NASA, as the maneuver meant the rover’s mobility system is working. Project leaders hope the rover can eventually travel hundreds of feet daily. Also, awesome — the agency began its news conference by honoring science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, who died in June, and would have turned 92 today. It was announced that the spot Curiosity landed would be named "Bradbury Landing." [Source]

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