-If a plane was flying at 560 miles per hour just on the surface of the star it would take 1100 years to circle it once

-If the star was in our solar system we would all be dead because it would reach to saturn

-It is estimated that VY Canis Majoris has already ejected around half of its mass, which has surrounded the star in a nebula cloud.

-VY Canis Majoris is near the end of its lifespan and is expected to explode as a supernova in the next 100,000 years.

-After the star explodes the collapse of its remaining core could be massive enough to create a black hole.

-It is 4000 light years away from us

-Large stars burn their fuel extremely quickly, as a result they only exist for a few million years, smaller stars like our sun exist for billions of years.

 -Hypergiant stars such as VY Canis Majoris are extremely rare in our galaxy, in fact most stars in the Milky Way are smaller than the sun.

It is around 1500 times bigger than the sun.

For decades, the agency and its partners have sent orbiters, landers and rovers, dramatically increasing our knowledge about the Red Planet and paving the way for future human explorers. The Curiosity rover has gathered radiation data to help us protect future astronauts, and the upcoming Mars 2020 rover will study the availability of Martian resources, including oxygen.

There is more to learn as we expand humanity's presence into the solar system: Was Mars once home to microbial life or is it today? Can it be a safe home for humans? What can the Red Planet teach us about our own planet's past, present and future?

Building on the robotic legacy, the human exploration of Mars crosses three thresholds, each with increasing challenges as humans move farther from Earth: Earth Reliant, the Proving Ground, and Earth Independent.
The Mars Science Laboratory or Curiosity Rover is the largest payload ever delivered to the surface of a planet and it has a terrifyingly complicated descent and landing strategy. First, the atmosphere takes it from 13,000 mph to 2,000 mph. Then a parachute takes it down to 200 mph. The final, powered-descent stage lowers the craft to 21 feet above the surface, at which point it will be lowered by a tether and the rockets will detach and crash land elsewhere. 

If the Curiosity survives it's descent to Mars, it will be the most robust scientific tool to ever explore another planet. The size of a small car, the craft has a planned mission length of two years, during which time it could travel over 12 miles. 

Curiosity's goals are to study the geology and climate of Mars, to determine whether there was once life there, and to prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet