It takes 102 people to run daily operations for the Mars Science Laboratory and Curiosity Rover mission. Today,
NASA recognizes and honors women on the project, assigning 76 of those rolls to women.
The rover and lab have now been on the Red Planet one full Martian Year, an auspicious milestone for NASA to choose to recognize the women on the project. NASA has also posted a series of video profiles of women engineers and scientists on the project which I would encourage for viewing by any girl who still shows interest in and aptitude for math and science, you know, before the culture stamps it out of her.
Happy birthday, Curiosity and MSL. And all hail to Women on Mars.
For all my Mars diaries and all things Martian on Daily Kos, go to Kossacks on Mars.