Curiosity (rover) conditions favorable for microbial life, including investigation of the role of water; and planetary habitability studies in preparation for human exploration. In December 2012, "Curiosity" two-year mission was extended indefinitely. On August 5, 2017, NASA celebrated the fifth anniversary of the "Curiosity" rover landing and related exploratory accomplishments on the planet Mars. The rover is still operational, and as of , "Curiosity" has been on Mars for sols ( total days) since landing on August 6, 2012. "(See current status.)" "Curiosity" design will serve as the basis for the planned Mars 2020 rover. As established by the Mars Exploration Program,
Mission: Earth, Voyage to the Home Planet and Jones later produced another collaborative work, "Scholastic Encyclopedia of the United States at War", which was published in 1998. Jones wrote another book about his experiences in space, "Sky Walking: An Astronaut's Memoir", which was published in 2006. In "Mission: Earth, Voyage to the Home Planet", astronaut Thomas David Jones recounts his experiences studying the Earth during his first mission with the United States space agency NASA. Jones' space mission lasted eleven days. Jones was a member of the crew of the Space Shuttle "Endeavour", which left Earth in April 1994. The mission was intended to provide the Space