At 1:32 a.m. Eastern time today, the NASA rover Curiosity safely touched down on the surface of Mars after a journey of more than 300 million miles and a harrowing descent from orbit, complete with parachutes, rockets, and the perilous sky crane maneuver. As a member of the science team for Curiosity, Rensselaer Dean of Science Laurie Leshin traveled to California for the landing, and will be working with the team to analyze data from the rover. Leshin wrote about the importance of the mission, and the hope that it will engage young people in the pursuit of math and science, in an article that appeared in Sunday’s edition of the Albany Times Union.