“When we first get word we have touched the top of the atmosphere, the vehicle has been alive – or dead – for at least seven minutes”⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ On the 10-year anniversary of Curiosity Mars rover landing on Mars, we relive the most terrifying moments of the mission – the descent to the Red Planet’s surface.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Team members at @NASAJPL share the challenges of the Curiosity Mars rover's final minutes to landing on the surface of Mars. With zero margin of error, engineers choreographed a descent that would bring the spacecraft from 13,000 miles per hour, to zero – with no help from mission control.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ The SUV-size explorer confirmed that billions of years ago, Mars had the conditions needed to support microscopic life.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Since landing, Curiosity has driven nearly 18 miles (29 kilometers) and ascended 2,050 feet (625 meters) as it explores Gale Crater and the foothills of Mount Sharp within it. The rover has analyzed 41 rock and soil samples, relying on a suite of science instrumen...