NASA To Send More Robots To Mars

No, it's doubtful that our obsession with Mars will ever end. The planet's surface already hosts one Mars Lander and two Mars Rovers, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter keeps watch on the planet from the sky. NASA now plans another unmanned expedition--which will cost about $485 million--to the Red Planet, scheduled for 2013. So what's the big deal with Mars, anyway? Mainly, there's The Future--eventually, Earth is going to get quite crowded, and the best place to establish a New World is Mars. Unfortunately, you see, there's a catch. There's no atmosphere, though it is suspected that there was one many years ago. Naturally, astronomers now wonder where all the air went, which is what the new orbiter--called the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN)--will help them figure out.
The work begins this time next year, with a $6 million grant for the planning and development phase.