The first and sure-to-be-enduring image of Mars from the Curiosity rover looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic novel. Dusty, mountainous, orange-tinged and deserted.

What the Mars landing means, however, is anything but. It's not about the end of civilization as we know it. It's about a new frontier.

In a statement released Monday, President Barack Obama said words that can be uttered only once: "Tonight, on the planet Mars, the United States of America made history."