Mars Science Lab
I Remember...
This program landed a rover the size of a small car on Mars. The lander uses a small nuclear generator and not solar panels for mobility.
The parachutes for the previous Landers were the size of an umbrella stand but this parachute mortar will be the size of a 55-gallon drum. It is the most ambitious project I have been involved with going to Mars. Not project manager but am able to help in small ways.
In fact I even signed my name on the parachute. So that when it lands a small esoteric part of me will have made it to Mars.
The Mission
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011,[1] which successfully landed Curiosity, a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012.[2][5][7][14] The overall objectives include investigating Mars' habitability, studying its climate and geology, and collecting data for a manned mission to Mars.[15] The rover carries a variety of scientific instruments designed by an international team.[16]
* Taken from the Wikipedia page on the Mars Science Laboratory