Mars landing to go live in the Big Apple

GREENBELT, Md., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The landing of the Mars Curiosity rover is going to be a show in New York with a live broadcast of its touchdown on a giant screen in Times Square, NASA says.

Coverage of the $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission landing on NASA Television will be shown on the Toshiba Vision screen that hangs below the iconic New Year's Eve ball in Times Square, space agency officials say.

The broadcast will start at 11:30 p.m. EDT Sunday night and run until 4 a.m. EDT Monday morning, SPACE.com reported.

The exact time of touchdown is scheduled for 1:31 a.m. Sunday EDT.

"In the city that never sleeps, the historic Times Square will be the place for New Yorkers to participate in this historic landing," John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science missions, said in a statement.

The space agency said many sites around the country, including a number of NASA facilities, will also be presenting live viewing of the event.

NASA's complete listing of locations carrying the landing can be found at http://go.nasa.gov/QtmuY7, and a webcast of the complete Mars rover Curiosity landing will begin at Aug. 5 at 11:30 p.m. EDT on NASA TV at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.