In preparation for this weekend's highly anticipated Mars rover landing, The Atlantic has compiled a beautiful visual history of the Curiosity project. The stunning hi-res images show and explain the purpose of Curiosity's various scientific and imaging instruments, and give a detailed account of the preparations leading up to liftoff on November 26th, 2011. The article also gives a brief explanation of the complicated sky crane maneuver, a risky process that will hopefully guide the rover to safety on the Martian surface. If you want to watch the landing live — delayed 14 minutes while the radio waves reach Earth — and can't make it to Times Square, Wired has put together a pretty comprehensive list of live streams and coverage options.