MARS EXPLORATION PROGRAM
NASA ’ S CURIOSITY + PERSEVERANCE ROVER CAPTURE STUNNING MARS LANDSCAPE
MISSION STATEMENT The goal of the Mars Exploration Program is to explore Mars and to provide a continuous flow of scientific information and discovery through a carefully selected series of robotic orbiters , landers and mobile laboratories interconnected by a high-bandwidth Mars / Earth communications network .
ABOUT THE PROGRAM NASA ’ s Mars Exploration Program is a science-driven , technology-enabled study of Mars as a planetary system in order to understand :
• the formation and early evolution of Mars as a planet
• the history of geological and climate processes that have shaped Mars through time
• the potential for Mars to have hosted life ( its “ biological potential ”)
• the future exploration of Mars by humans , and
• how Mars compares to and contrasts with Earth .
WHY MARS ?
There are several strategic , practical and scientific reasons for humans to explore Mars . Among them we know that Mars is the most accessible place in the solar system . Additionally , exploring Mars provides the opportunity to possibly answer origin and evolution of life questions , and could someday be a destination for survival of humankind .
In the strategic sense , exploring Mars demonstrates our political and economic leadership as a nation , improves the quality of life on Earth , helps us learn about our home planet , and expands US leadership in the peaceful , international exploration of space .
From a practical perspective we know that Mars is unique across the entire solar system in that it is a terrestrial planet with an atmosphere and climate , its geology is known to be very diverse and complex ( like Earth ), and it appears that the climate of Mars has changed over its history ( like Earth ).
Overall , many of the key questions in can be addressed effectively by exploring Mars . This endeavor also serves to inspire the next generation of explorers and dramatically expand human knowledge .
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