Nasa probe lands on Mars

1 of 12 The barren, rock-strewn landscape surrounding the Spirit lander can be seen.

2 of 12 These pictures, taken by the hazard avoidance camera, show the rover's rear lander petal and the Martian horizon.

3 of 12 Within hours of landing on Mars the Spirit probe sent back dozens of pictures of the Red Planet's surface.

4 of 12 When Spirit begins moving around the Martian landscape, it will investigate the rocks scattered around its landing site.

5 of 12 Scientists believe the site on Mars where Spirit has landed may be an ancient lake bed.

6 of 12 The rover's front wheels in stowed configuration are testimony to a successful landing.

7 of 12 An artist's picture of Nasa's Spirit space probe which survived what one official called "six minutes of hell" landing on Mars.

8 of 12 The tension as Nasa waited for the rover to parachute safely was almost too much for Principal Investigator Steve Squyres.

9 of 12 Landing Chief Engineer Wayne Lee whooped for joy as the first signal from the Mars Rover Spirit was received.

10 of 12 As the first images were beamed, colleagues at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, celebrated.

11 of 12 Nasa Administrator Sean O'Keefe said: "This is a big night for Nasa - we're back".

12 of 12 The smiles from Mars Exploration project members said it all...