After waiting 1.5 seconds to make sure the rover was on the ground, the "sky-crane" system activated small explosives on the cables to set the spacecraft free from the rover so it could fly away for a crash landing.

NASA has set up plenty of ways for people to keep track of the Curiosity.

is a fantastic resource for images, videos, blogs, podcasts and more. It's also the place where you can watch upcoming press conferences and news updates--the next ones are scheduled for 4 p.m. PDT Aug. 6 and 10 a.m. PDT on Aug. 7 and on Aug. 8.

For even more information and absolutely everything you'd want to know, visit +. You can also follow along on and .