Future Mars Probes

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The Sojorner Martian Rover In preparation for sending a manned mission to Mars, several unmanned space probe missions will be launched to the planet. These will include probes from the US, Russia, International probes, and even one from Japan. These probes, 3 of which have already been launched, will both orbit Mars and land on its surface. These probes are very important, and will serve to collect vital information for a manned landing. Not only will they collect data that may be essential to survival on the planet, but they will also find a landing spot and do many automated scientific tests cheaper than a manned mission could. The first two of these probes have already landed on Mars!

Unfortunately, one set of these probes were accidentally destroyed during liftoff. This was the probe package called "Mars '96," but it probably will not significantly affect the overall mission to Mars. By the time you are reading this, 2 of the probes will have already landed. These are: Mars Global Surveyor and the Mars Pathfinder.

A TIMELINE OF MARS MISSIONS
November 5, 1996	U.S.	Mars Global Surveyor	NASA sent a space probe to Mars to conduct an orbital survey of the planet's surface. The craft will arrive in the summer of 1997.
November 16,1996	International	Mars'96	Russia and collaborating European nations launched a collection of spacecraft targeted at Mars. Completely destroyed due to launch failure
December 5,1996	U.S.	Mars Pathfinder	This probe successfully landed in an ancient outflow channel on July 4, 1997 and release a mobile robot, Sojorner, to explore the site.
1998-1999	U.S.	'98 Mars Surveyor	One probe will continue orbital surveys with emphases on locating isolated carbon dioxide deposits on the surface. Meanwhile, a landing craft will touch down and explore the southern polar region.
1998-1999	Japan	Planet B	An orbiting probe will investigate the upper atmosphere of Mars.
2001	U S	Mars '01	An orbiting satellite and a surface landing craft will continue to conduct surveys of the surface of Mars.
2001	Russia	Mars'01	One or several landing craft, perhaps with mobile vehicles, will explore the surface.
2003	U.S.	Mars '03	While one satellite conducts surveys from orbit a probe will land and explore regions that may have once harbored life.
2005	U.S.	Mars Surveyor '05	A spacecraft will collect samples and return them to Earth, perhaps by using fuel made on the surface.

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