Engineers are ecstatic. early B&W images show a healthy lander and our usual flattish, rocky martian surface (though this plain was almost certainly under water at some point, which is why they chose this landing spot).
low bandwidth text updates on mission status: http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html
[includes links to some images]
Regarding why we spend money on this stuff? C'mon, this isn't what is keeping $$ away from social needs, this is basic -- and important -- research:
- It's quite possible that life evolved independently on Mars, and even conceivable that it still survives there, probably underground.
- The chance that we might uncover a Second Known Example of life, evolution, the whole ball of wax, is worth a few pennies. Such a thing would be guaranteed to give us new understanding of our own biology through the contrasts and unexpected.
- Even if it's a dead rock with some water and ice, studying the non-earth planet that is most like the earth illuminates our own ecology, geology, weather, etc., in all sorts of ways. Planets are complicated beasties. Since we're entirely dependant on one, it behooves us to understand them as well as we can.