Mars Rover: Curiosity

The mars rover curiosity is scheduled to land in mars this august. As usual in every space mission the entry descent into the atmosphere is the most crucial and dangerous stage due to the forces experienced during re-entry and the factor of uncertainty in the re-entry conditions. For the mars rover the condition is even worse as it has to descent into a less known atmosphere which is prominent for its sudden sand storms and adverse change in weather conditions. Adding to the problems are the friction and heat encountered during re-entry posing a threat to the rover as a whole though the heat shield and radiation protective coatings aboard are tested several thousand times. If it could pull of this descent , the surface of the mars would be more revealed with detailed study from the information collected from the rover, which serves as the base for NASA's program to send humans to mars.

An interesting video showing challenges of curiosity:

I think if it succeeds it will be a huge boost to space programs increasing new possibilities for exploitation. Whats your view on the success of the program?