White House hails Mars rover landing

NASA mission controllers erupt in cheers as science rover Curiosity lands safely in an ancient, Martian crater.<br/> <br />It took the rover eight months to reach the planet and just seven minutes to land after making the perilous descent at more than 20,000 km-per-hour.<br/> <br />On Monday, White House Science Advisor John Holdren said the mission proved America's commitment to space exploration, despite cutbacks to the NASA program.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE ADVISER JOHN HOLDREN SAYING:<br/> <br />"Landing the MSL rover Curiosity on the surface of the Red Planet was by any measure the most challenging mission ever attempted in the history of robotic planetary exploration."<br/> <br />The landing became a media spectacle and impressed crowds of Americans watching on a big screen in New York City.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) LAUREL MATHERS, STUDENT IN NEW YORK, SAYING:<br/> <br />"Oh, I mean I think think NASA has done obviously an incredible job with what they have considering their funding has been slashed by colossal amounts."<br/> <br />Curiosity, a mobile, robotic laboratory worth 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, is on the Red Planet to look for evidence that Mars may have once been home to early forms of life.