1 Year on Mars: Relive Curiosity's Biggest Moments

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By Amanda Wills2013-08-05 11:53:42 -0400

An ambitious, car-sized rover named Curiosity touched down on Mars one year ago from Monday.

At 1:32 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2012, NASA's $2.5 billion investment paid off as Curiosity landed all four wheels on Martian surface.

See also: Time Lapse Shows Curiosity Rover's First Year on Mars in 2 Minutes

But the rover still had a long way to go. In the year that followed, Curiosity unraveled some of the best-kept secrets about the mysterious Red Planet, from finding an ancient stream bed where water once flowed to drilling into a rock and confirming Mars was once suitable for life.

This week, NASA celebrates the rover's first year on Mars. Here's a look back at some of Curiosity's most memorable moments, both historical and quirky.

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Image: NASA

Topics: Curiosity, curiosity rover, Mars, Mars rover, NASA, Science, space, U.S., US & World, World