The usage has deviated from the original meaning. Making a big deal out of it doesn't make you look smart; it makes you look out of touch.
Makes sense with how the original quote also said "We have 36 more flybys to study just how unique it really is."
www.merriam-webster.com has one definition which says it's a synonym of "unusual" [2].
[1] https://www.google.com/#q=unique (in the top info box)
[2] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unique (#3 in the full definition, all-caps meaning that it's a synonym for the word in caps)
The usage has deviated from the original meaning. Making a big deal out of it doesn't make you look smart; it makes you look out of touch.