U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday that “the United States of America made history" as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) safely landed its Curiosity rover on the planet Mars. “The successful landing of Curiosity - the most sophisticated roving laboratory ever to land on another planet - marks an unprecedented feat of technology that will stand as a point of national pride far into the future," Obama said in a statement. “It proves that even the longest of odds are no match for our unique blend of ingenuity and determination." The president congratulated NASA for its accomplishment, saying that the success “parallels our major steps forward towards a vision for a new partnership with American companies to send American astronauts into space on American spacecraft." “That partnership will save taxpayer dollars while allowing NASA to do what it has always done best - push the very boundaries of human knowledge. And tonight's success reminds us that our preeminence - not just in space, but here on Earth - depends on continuing to invest wisely in the innovation, technology, and basic research that has always made our economy the envy of the world," Obama said.
