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Upcoming Missions

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[Map: Potential landing site for MER 2003]
Gusev Crater, Mars
Map of potential landing site for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover mission
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The Astrogeology Research Program is involved in a number of missions that are in various stages of consideration and planning, or are currently underway and en route to their destinations, including:

  • Mars Program
    • Mars Exploration Rover: Site selection/certification for the 2003 twin rovers mission
    • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2005: A mission focused on analyzing the surface to follow tantalizing hints of water detected in images from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, and to bridge the gap between surface observations and measurements from orbit. High-detail imaging will be done at 8- to 12-inch (20- to 30-centimeter) resolution.
    • Landers from 2007 to 2011: Site selection
    • Planetary Sample Return/Distribution Protocol in 2011: Planning a three-year mission to collect samples of the Martian surface and return them to Earth
    • Visit our Mars page to find a complete listing of our Mars missions activities.
  • Outer Planets Program
    • Cassini Mission to Saturn - Orbiter: See our Cassini page for mission information and links to our projects.
  • Human Exploration Program:
    • Return to the Moon & Mars Landing While there are currently no formal plans for further human exploration of our solar system, scientists and engineers are developing concepts, ideas, and technologies that will one day be required to visit our neighboring planets.
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