[meteorite-list] NASA Announces Robust Multi-Year Mars Program; New Rover to Close Out Decade of New Missions

[Ron Baalke]

Dec. 04, 2012

Dwayne Brown/Sarah DeWitt 
Headquarters, Washington           
202/358-1726/358-2451 
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov/ sarah.l.dewitt at nasa.gov 


RELEASE: 12-420

NASA ANNOUNCES ROBUST MULTI-YEAR MARS PROGRAM; NEW ROVER TO CLOSE OUT DECADE OF NEW MISSIONS

WASHINGTON -- Building on the success of Curiosity's Red Planet 
landing, NASA has announced plans for a robust multi-year Mars 
program, including a new robotic science rover set to launch in 2020. 
This announcement affirms the agency's commitment to a bold 
exploration program that meets our nation's scientific and human 
exploration objectives. 

"The Obama administration is committed to a robust Mars exploration 
program," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "With this next 
mission, we're ensuring America remains the world leader in the 
exploration of the Red Planet, while taking another significant step 
toward sending humans there in the 2030s." 

The planned portfolio includes the Curiosity and Opportunity rovers; 
two NASA spacecraft and contributions to one European spacecraft 
currently orbiting Mars; the 2013 launch of the Mars Atmosphere and 
Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiter to study the Martian upper 
atmosphere; the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, 
Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission, which will take the 
first look into the deep interior of Mars; and participation in ESA's 
2016 and 2018 ExoMars missions, including providing "Electra" 
telecommunication radios to ESA's 2016 mission and a critical element 
of the premier astrobiology instrument on the 2018 ExoMars rover. 

The plan to design and build a new Mars robotic science rover with a 
launch in 2020 comes only months after the agency announced InSight, 
which will launch in 2016, bringing a total of seven NASA missions 
operating or being planned to study and explore our Earth-like 
neighbor. 

The 2020 mission will constitute another step toward being responsive 
to high-priority science goals and the president's challenge of 
sending humans to Mars orbit in the 2030s. 

The future rover development and design will be based on the Mars 
Science Laboratory (MSL) architecture that successfully carried the 
Curiosity rover to the Martian surface this summer. This will ensure 
mission costs and risks are as low as possible, while still 
delivering a highly capable rover with a proven landing system. The 
mission will constitute a vital component of a broad portfolio of 
Mars exploration missions in development for the coming decade. 

The mission will advance the science priorities of the National 
Research Council's 2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey and responds 
to the findings of the Mars Program Planning Group established 
earlier this year to assist NASA in restructuring its Mars 
Exploration Program. 

"The challenge to restructure the Mars Exploration Program has turned 
from the seven minutes of terror for the Curiosity landing to the 
start of seven years of innovation," NASA's associate administrator 
for science, and astronaut John Grunsfeld said. "This mission concept 
fits within the current and projected Mars exploration budget, builds 
on the exciting discoveries of Curiosity, and takes advantage of a 
favorable launch opportunity." 

The specific payload and science instruments for the 2020 mission will 
be openly competed, following the Science Mission Directorate's 
established processes for instrument selection. This process will 
begin with the establishment of a science definition team that will 
be tasked to outline the scientific objectives for the mission. 

This mission fits within the five-year budget plan in the president's 
Fiscal Year 2013 budget request, and is contingent on future 
appropriations. 

Plans also will include opportunities for infusing new capabilities 
developed through investments by NASA's Space Technology Program, 
Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and 
contributions from international partners. 

For information about NASA Mars activities, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/mars 

-end-