The quest to explore a rust-colored world that has captured humanity’s imagination enters a new phase with Wednesday’s scheduled launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. From NASA’s first successful Mars flyby 30 years ago to the twin rovers scuttling across Martian craters today, scientists have only scratched the surface in describing how the planet is put together, how it evolved, and most provocatively, whether it had – or still has – conditions that could cradle simple life forms. Now, scientists aim to get under Mars’ skin.
more from The Christian Science Monitor here.