Curiosity Rover Seeks Out Life on Mars

See the first pictures from NASA's latest Mars mission.

Searching for Signs of Life - At 1:32 a.m. ET Monday morning, engineers at NASA's Mars Science Laboratory in California erupted in applause after confirming that Curiosity, an SUV-sized space rover, had successfully made contact on the planet Mars. Curiosity will now begin a two-year mission to determine if the Red Planet ever had the environment to support small life forms called microbes. Keep reading for a look at Curiosity's extraordinary journey. —Britt Middleton  Above, Mars is photographed in 2003 by the Hubble Space Telescope. (Photo: AP Photo/NASA)

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Searching for Signs of Life - At 1:32 a.m. ET Monday morning, engineers at NASA's Mars Science Laboratory in California erupted in applause after confirming that Curiosity, an SUV-sized space rover, had successfully made contact on the planet Mars. Curiosity will now begin a two-year mission to determine if the Red Planet ever had the environment to support small life forms called microbes. Keep reading for a look at Curiosity's extraordinary journey. —Britt Middleton Above, Mars is photographed in 2003 by the Hubble Space Telescope. (Photo: AP Photo/NASA)

First Images - The rover Curiosity beamed back one of these images of Mars after completing its seven-minute descent through the planet's atmosphere. Curiosity is equipped with a nuclear-powered lab capable of vaporizing rocks, ingesting soil and measuring habitability. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech via Getty Images)

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First Images - The rover Curiosity beamed back one of these images of Mars after completing its seven-minute descent through the planet's atmosphere. Curiosity is equipped with a nuclear-powered lab capable of vaporizing rocks, ingesting soil and measuring habitability. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech via Getty Images)

Space Invader - No signs of E.T. yet, but in this image recorded by Curiosity on Sunday Mars' rocky surface is in full view. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech via Getty Images)

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Space Invader - No signs of E.T. yet, but in this image recorded by Curiosity on Sunday Mars' rocky surface is in full view. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech via Getty Images)

Real Star Power - Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and NASA astronaut Leland Melvin were among the spectators visiting NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California, on Sunday. (Photo: REUTERS/Fred Prouser)

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Real Star Power - Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and NASA astronaut Leland Melvin were among the spectators visiting NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California, on Sunday. (Photo: REUTERS/Fred Prouser)

A Closer View of Curiosity - Joined by Jim Garvin, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Sciences and Exploration Directorate Chief Scientist, Will.i.am checked out a mock-up of the Curiosity rover. The musician was there to support space education programs for students. (Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

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A Closer View of Curiosity - Joined by Jim Garvin, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Sciences and Exploration Directorate Chief Scientist, Will.i.am checked out a mock-up of the Curiosity rover. The musician was there to support space education programs for students. (Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

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History in the Making - Scientists monitor Curiosity's flight pattern closely inside the Spaceflight Operations Facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Photo: Brian van der Brug-Pool/Getty Images)

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History in the Making - Scientists monitor Curiosity's flight pattern closely inside the Spaceflight Operations Facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Photo: Brian van der Brug-Pool/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Brian van der Brug-Pool/Getty Images

Tense Moment - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden clasps his hands as the rover begins its descent to the surface of Mars. (Photo: Brian van der Brug-Pool/Getty Images)

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Tense Moment - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden clasps his hands as the rover begins its descent to the surface of Mars. (Photo: Brian van der Brug-Pool/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Brian van der Brug-Pool/Getty Images

Success! - The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team cheers jubilantly following the rover's successful landing. "Almost 70 percent of previous missions to Mars had ended in failure, and the unmitigated success seemed to be a vindication of sorts,"   writes Florida Today. (Photo: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Success! - The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team cheers jubilantly following the rover's successful landing. "Almost 70 percent of previous missions to Mars had ended in failure, and the unmitigated success seemed to be a vindication of sorts,"   writes Florida Today. (Photo: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A National Treasure - "If anybody has been harboring doubts about the status of U.S. leadership in space, well, there’s a one-ton, automobile-size piece of American ingenuity, and it’s sitting on the surface of Mars right now," White House Science and Technology Advisor John P. Holdren, second left, said at a press conference following the landing.  (Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

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A National Treasure - "If anybody has been harboring doubts about the status of U.S. leadership in space, well, there’s a one-ton, automobile-size piece of American ingenuity, and it’s sitting on the surface of Mars right now," White House Science and Technology Advisor John P. Holdren, second left, said at a press conference following the landing.  (Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

Job Well Done - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden congratulates NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate John M. Grunsfeld after the successfull landing. The mission comes two years in the making and cost $2.5 billion. (Photo: Brian van der Brug-Pool/Getty Images)

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Job Well Done - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden congratulates NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate John M. Grunsfeld after the successfull landing. The mission comes two years in the making and cost $2.5 billion. (Photo: Brian van der Brug-Pool/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Brian van der Brug-Pool/Getty Images