Mars Landing 2012: Inside the NASA Curiosity Mission

National Geographic presents the science, the goals, and the anticipation of humankind’s most ambitious planetary expedition ever: the Curiosity mission to Mars. On August 6, 2012 (EST), NASA’s Curiosity spacecraft will complete its 255-day, 354-million-mile journey and plunge down into Gale Crater, its target on the martian surface, decelerating from 13,200 to 0 mph in 7 minutes.