White House hails Mars rover landing

NASA mission controllers erupt in cheers as science rover Curiosity lands safely in an ancient, Martian crater.

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.

On Monday, White House Science Advisor John Holdren said the mission proved America's commitment to space exploration, despite cutbacks to the NASA program.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE ADVISER JOHN HOLDREN SAYING:

"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."

The landing became a media spectacle and impressed crowds of Americans watching on a big screen in New York City.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) LAUREL MATHERS, STUDENT IN NEW YORK, SAYING:

"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."

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.