Anticipation as the Mars rover Curiosity streaks into the home stretch of its eight-month voyage Sunday nearing a make-or-break landing attempt.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) ADAM STELTZNER OF THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY, SAYING:<br/> <br />"The team is ready, the spacecraft is ready and it's to the fates."<br/> <br />Mars is the chief component of NASA's long-term deep space exploration plans. Curiosity is designed primarily to search for evidence that the planet most similar to Earth may have once held the ingredients necessary for life to evolve.<br/> <br />Curiosity is scheduled to touch down at 10:31 p.m. Pacific time Sunday night.<br/> <br />Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters
