here in washington, d.c., administrator charles bolden.hank you for waking up and talking with us. let's talk about this process. this is a pretty complicated process. >> it is an incredible process. it has been under way since he launched last thanksgiving. the mars rover carrying curiosity will now descend to the martian surface. it is about a seven-machine flight of officerror through the martian atmosphere and it will be lowrd you to the surface through a sky crane system and will stay there for a couple of years exploring the planet. big objective is to help determine whether life is existent on the planet, whether it could have existed before and what is the potential for life being sustained there in the future. since we are trying to put humans on mars in 2030 in response to president obama's direction to nasa to do so. >> now, this sound like a complicated process and has has to maneuver over a big crater and it goes 13,000 miles per hour and this is a seven-minute window. this sounds really complicated. how on earth do you plan s

nasa administrator charles bolden recorded the voice message. technicians sent it to rover on mars, and then curiosity beamed the recording back. >> curiosity will bring benefits to earth and inspire a new generation of scientists and explorers as it prepares the way for a human mission in the not too distant future. thank you. >> one nasa expert compares the audio transmission and the pictures from mars to the milestone set by neil armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon. he died on saturday. nasa officials say the curiosity mission as another step toward establishing a human presence beyond earth. >>> the neighborhood of tokyo is one of the japan's most famous tourist spots. visitors can enjoy traditional festivals, temples and shops. it's also home to tokyo skytree, the second tallest structure in the world. for the last three decades it has hosted an unusual summer parade. the neighborhood's biggest party is actually an adaptation of a brazilian festival. nhk world explains. >> reporter: you may think this scene is something you'd f

it was a recorded message from charles bolden. >> hello, this is charlie bolden, nasa administrator speaking to you. >> athe broadcast capabilities of the curiosity rove are which is now on the surface of mars. since the beginning of time, humankind's curiosity has led us to constantly seek new life, new possibilities just beyond the horizon. >> cure just is set to take its first samples of mars' atmosphere as well. so cool. amazing how clear his voice is and that is coming back from mars. >> isn't at. amazing how well technology works. >> how well it can work. i know. >> here is something a lot of people are talking about as well. it gets a lot of conversations started. there is more took about speed and red light cameras and parking tickets this morning but this time possibly some good news. >> an effort to reduce fines. you'll like that. we'll explain how you can get involved. now, let's check in with tucker. >> we've got rain showers moving in from the north and west. cold front coming through. i promise it will deliver a nice-looking afternoon for us. i'll have the details on the weathe

. >> nasa administrator charles bolden issued a statement saying in part: as long as there are history books, neil armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own. besides being one of america's greatest explorers, neil carried himself with the grace and humility that was an example to all of us. and president obama added his voice saying neil's spirit of discovery lives on in all of the men and women who devoted their lives to exploring the unknown, ensuring those who make sure we go higher and further into space and that is by the power of one man who taught us one small step. armstrong was joined by fellow crew members buzz aldrin and michael collins that day at the white house and armstrong was the commander for the apollo 11 commission. he had what doctors are calling cardiovascular procedures and died from complications of those procedures, according to his family. neil armstrong was 82 years old. stay with us for continuing coverage of the death of neil armstrong. coming up at 10:30, we're going speak with a vetera

here is former naught charles bolden talk about where they are going right here. >> imagine going intoyon where we can look at the history of earth really in that area as we look at various strata that is what landing in the crater allows us to and do actually the mountain. so it will look across the geological history of the planet mars in the two years in it is there it is a harrowing experience. as they say, seven minutes of terror, but that's why we are nasa because we like to do things like that we love risky things, but we are confident. >> they are terrorizing themselves. rhett let me show you what it looks like, hits the atmosphere 13,000 miles an hour, hits the heat shield, throws to 1,000 miles an hour, this is on fire, burning up, like you see remember the old apollo astronauts were dom coming down, this thing on fire, couldn't talk to the apollo astronauts, the martian service is small hearten earth, the atmosphere is less dense, 100 times less dense, then me put out the parachute, slow it is down to 1,000 miles an hour, take the thing called a sky crane and land it on mars

nasa administrator charles bolden. >> the big objective, to determine exeter live ever existed on the planet, whether it could be sustained -- whether life ever existed on the planet, whether it could be sustained. >> joining us now to talk more about the mission is goddard spaceflight center planetary geologist dr. noah pecho. what does this mission mean four nasa and everyone else? >> it's a big step in the exploration of has. we're sending this 2,000-pound rover to the surface of the planet that's going to spend two years roving around the surface making detailed measurements about the compounds and it's going to really be the first detailed insights into what may have happened billions of years ago here, just a huge step forward for nasa in its exploration of mars and potentially future exploration of other places. >> let's talk about this so- called seven minutes of terror. describe what will be happening and why it's such a nail biting proposition. >> the spacecraft now as it approaches mars is going about 13,000 miles per hour. when it enters mars' atmosphere it has seven minut

earlier this morning, we spoke with nasa administrator charles bolden about the importance of the mission the big objective is to help us determine whether life is existent on the planet, whether it could have existed before, and what is the potential for life being sustained there in the future. since we're trying to put humans on mars in 2030, in response to president obama's direction to nasa to do so. >> nasa will broadcast live images from curiosity as it lands and the video will actually be played on a massive screen in new york city's times square. what if they do and it's live and we see the pictures and something leans in and waves. >> wouldn't that be interesting. >> or would it be frightening? >> a little of both actually. >> here's something that frightened people too. >> the navy finally has taken the wraps off what many people have dubbed the beltway ufo. the experimental aircraft got the nickname after drivers spotted it just driving on down i-270 and 495 last month. and they began snapping pictures and tweeting that they had seen what they thought was a flying saucer on a

nasa administrator charles bolden spoke today >> in the words of the armstrong family, the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of neal armstrong and give him a wink. >> reporter: over the weekend tourists at the air and space museum in washington remembered where they were when armstrong walked on the moon. >> barbara, my wife, asked me, do you remember what our son mark when he was two years old in 1969, when we were watching it on tv that neal armstrong was on the moon and our son who was two years old at the time, he went outside, looked at the moon and said, "i don't see anybody up there." >> we were sad to hear about it. he was certainly a pioneer. we all respecked him in that day and age. i certainly wouldn't have gone up there. i don't know how they convinced him to do. >> i was a nine-year-old kid, right? that was a big remembrance for us. we all sat around the tv and watched the whole process. it was a big deal. it's still a big deal. >> reporter: in los angeles, a wreath was set out at armstrong's star on the hollywood wal

. >> and then charles baldwin -- borden, who -- bolden, right the first time, the administrator for nasas just the beginning. >> right now, the wheels of curiosity have begun to blaze the trail for human footprints on mars. >> human footprints on mars. >> any volunteers? >> well, i have seen those movies. i know they don't end well. >> here -- will be walking on any other footprints that they already find on mars? >> yeah. exactly. >> yeah. >> that's a long trip to mars man. that thing left here blasted off in november. it's now august. >> that's a hall. >> # -- >> that's about how long it takes to get to northern virginia did he have. >> to be fair, it is a rush hour. >> that's a long hall. yeah. you would have to haveul. yeah. you would have to have. you would have to have lots of snicker's bars. >> roadie treats. >> jerky. what a line-up today, secretary of labor hilda solis will be here as she is every monday following the jobs report. she will be along to tell us what that 163,000 jobs in july means. one of our favorites, simon campbell, sister simon campbell is back from st. louis

for nasa administrator charles bolden, it was a dawn of a new nasa. >> it allows us to move on to explorationy -- >> this week came a giant step in that direction as the car-sized rover named curiosity made a dramatic landing on mars. >> touchdown confirmed. [ cheering ] >> scientists exploded in joy and relief. it's all part of the transition from the old nasa to nasa 2.0. >> i would say the new nasa is the old nasa willing to accept new ideas. >> not just new ideas about exploration, but new ways to keep the american people focused on space. for the landing of curiosity, nasa used every trick in the high tech communications book. millions went online to watch nasa's special effects video of the landing, called seven minutes of terror. >> opens up that fast. it's a neck-snapping 9 gs. >> starring a giant parachute and a rocket-propelled landing platform. nasa used every kind of social the rover has its own twitter account with nearly a million followers and it will be sending back a steady stream of color photos, including these taken during its descent. nasa seems pleased with a scientist k

the rover also played back a recorded message from nasa's administrator, charles bolden, congratulating the >> announcer: this national weather report sponsored by garnier. take care. >> two little letters, a whole new idea in skin care. >> garnier's first bb cream miracle skin protector. >> for amazing cream. >> combines intense hydration, minerals and vitamin c. >> one application. >> five results. >> renews, protects and brightens. >> all in an instant. >> my skin- >> perfect. >> just like that. >> miracle cream skin protector from garnier. >>> it is governor chris christie's job tonight to rally republicans to support mitt romney and defeat president obama. this morning, we'll ask christie what he's planning for tonight's keynote address and we'll look back at some other keynote speakers who climbed all the way to the top. >>> and this painting used to be called "behold the man." now they're calling it "behold the monkey" after an amateur tried and failed to restore it. we'll show you how it's turning into a bizarre tourist attraction only on "cbs this morning." >> announcer: this p

charles bolden is a former astronaut and joins me now to walk through the complexity of curiosity's missione going and why. the gale crater, what kind of promise does it hold there? >> it's in the region of mars and we're going there because all of our previous indications from mars reconnaissance orbiter, other rovers and satellites say it's a good place to go if we want to determine whether there are signs that the martian surface could sustain life in its past, today or most particularly in its future when we plan to send humans there in the 203 0es. >> down in the crater there may be some signs of life and things you can see and curiosity will sift through and get a sense of what's going on there. one of other things everyone is talking about, how exactly this device will get to the martian surface. this is something i've never seen before, no one has ever seen before. it's a flying crane or winch thing. you see it exploding and the bottom goes off and another spacecraft comes out and it's lowered by cables onto the martian surface. some of your sign sicientists a calling this seven min

on "early start" this morning, charles bolden said curiosity could be paving the way for people to payecause all of our previous indications from mars reconnaissance orbiter, other rovers and satellites say that's a good place to go if we want to determine if there are signs that the martian surface could sustain life in its past, today, or most particularly in its future when we plan to send humans there in the 2030s. >> it's the most complex red planet touchdown ever attempted. it's being called seven minutes of terror as the rover will be lowered on cables lowered by a rocket-powered sky crane. very cool stuff, soledad. >> i can't believe you're talking about something that really exists called a rocket-powered sky crane. >> paving the way for people some day to drop into a crater perhaps. >> yeah, that's awesome. >> that's very cool. >> amazing. >> christine, thank you. >>> let's talk about america's newest golden girl. i love this young lady, gabby douglas. >> how do you really feel about her? >> i really, really love her. you know why? when she finishes her routine -- >> what do

it was a recorded message from nasa administrator charles bolden. >> this is charlie bolden, nasa administrator speaking to you via the broadcast capabilities of the "curiosity" rover which is now on the surface of mars. since the beginning of time, mankind's curiosity let us to seek new life, new possibilities just behind the horizon. >> so that would be the first human voice heard on mars. >> that's simply incredible. "curiosity" is also set to take its first samples of mars' atmosphere. >> when i looked at the crowd there i could see myself sitting right there at nasa with all those minds. [ laughter ] >>> still ahead, a much loved -- not really funny. >> i don't know wh i'm laughing. >> a much loved tradition in washington. >> holly morris is live with the latest. >> better a witty fool... we are all about shakespeare this morning live at the shakespeare theater company where they are gearing up for shakespeare free for all. a free classic, going behind stage this morning as we hang out with the costume director. we'll talk with her about what i

nasa administrator charles bolden spoke today >> in the words of the armstrong family, the next time969, when we were watching it on tv that neal armstrong was on the moon and our son who was two years old at the time, he went outside, looked at the moon and said, "i don't see anybody up there." >> we were sad to hear about it. he was certainly a pioneer. we all respecked him in that day and age. i certainly wouldn't have gone up there. i don't know how they convinced him to do. >> i was a nine-year-old kid, right? that was a big remembrance for us. we all sat around the tv and watched the whole process. it was a big deal. it's still a big deal. >> reporter: in los angeles, a wreath was set out at armstrong's star on the hollywood walk of fame. and people laid flowers at the foot of his statue at purdue university, his al ma matter. a private service is planned in cincinatti on friday. >> woodruff: someone truly part of american history. >> ifill: absolutely. >> woodruff: gwen and i and the newshour team will be right here tomorrow and all week. the delegates will nominate their tick