Exploring the Red Planet Mars (many links)

Orlando Sentinel ^ | 08/08/03 | Staff Writer

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On Aug. 27, Mars will make its closest approach to Earth in at least 60,000 years, a time well before the beginning of recorded human history.

The Red Planet will be 34.7 million miles away, offering an opportunity for scientists to dispatch spacecraft more cheaply on smaller rockets. Three exploratory missions already have been launched -- two from the U.S. and another from Europe.

These explorers aren't meant to find definitive evidence of life, but their work could push scientists further along in answering one of humanity's fundamental questions: Is there life outside of Earth? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Instrument on rover malfunctions An instrument aboard one of the two NASA rovers en route to Mars has malfunctioned, prompting worries it could harm the robot's information-gathering ability, a scientist said.

NASA picks probe to seek Martian water NASA announced Monday its choice for a robotic spacecraft that will head for Mars in 2007 to search for water in the northern latitudes of the Red Planet.

Red planet tamed Julie Dexheimer had gotten a total of six hours sleep in the past two days.

NASA launches second Mars rover NASA's second Mars rover successfully blasted off after nearly two weeks of delays, although technical problems plagued the launch to the very end.

NASA trims course of Mars-bound rover NASA successfully trimmed the course of a Mars-bound rover on Friday, putting the spacecraft on track for an early January arrival at the Red Planet.

Launch set for second of two Mars rovers NASA aims to launch next week the second of two rovers it's sending to the surface of Mars to prospect for evidence the planet was once a warmer, wetter place.

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