New Mars rover takes first drive ... on Earth

I'm glad so much money is being spent on such necessary things. Although I think this is a waste of money, it does seem like it is very cool. I can't wait to see this thing when it is fully functioning.

The ambitious new rover, named Curiosity, took center stage in the clean room of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, showcasing a whole slew of new instruments and support features. It drove just about 3 feet (1 meter) back and forth in its first drives.

NASA broadcast the rover's first drives live in an Internet webcast.

This week alone, spacecraft technicians and engineers attached the Curiosity rover's neck and head (called the Remote Sensing Mast) to its body, and mounted two navigation cameras (Navcams), two mast cameras (Mastcam) and the laser-toting chemistry camera (ChemCam).

New Mars Rover