Good one, NASA!

I just can't get enough of NASA's new Mars rover, Curiosity. I follow it on Twitter (@MarsCuriosity - probably the funniest robot you can follow on Twitter...) and get excited every time NASA posts a new photo on Facebook. Just the idea that we managed to land an SUV size robot on a completely different planet, more than 100 million miles away - and it's beaming back pictures (from a different planet!) - it totally blows my mind. 

NASA is now getting the first full resolution images from Curiosity. Here's a photo of the surrounding landscape...

Photo from NASA MSL Mission website

And here's a picture of my latest vacation to Death Valley...

Hmm... I can hear the rustling of conspiracy theorists putting on their tinfoil hats... 

NASA has a sense of humor though, and even mentioned the resemblance at their press conference. Chief Scientist John Grotzinger even said, "You would really be forgiven for thinking that NASA was trying to pull a fast one on you, and we actually put a rover out in the Mojave Desert and took a picture."

Sure NASA, everybody knows you can just re-use the sound-stage from the "moon landing" anyway...

Here's the NBCNews.com article on the Mojave/Mars resemblance. And here is NASA's awesome website for the MSL Curiosity.