Have humans got too many Mars missions on the drawing board? Take a look at this hilarious video, and think it over.
(Mars 2020 Springtime)
Here is a quick list of what's actually going on now:
1996 November 7, Delta II, currently operating in Mars orbit. Mars Global Surveyor (Nasa).
2001 April 7, Delta II, currently operating in Mars orbit. 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Surveyor 2001 Orbiter (Nasa).
2003 June 2, Soyuz-Fregat, currently operating in Mars orbit. Mars Express (ESA), Orbiter Mars Express and a Lander named Beagle 2.
2003 June 10, Delta 2 (7425), currently operating on the surface of Mars. Spirit, 2003 Mars Exploration Rover 2, MER-2, MER-A, Mars Surveyor 2003 Lander/Rover A (Nasa).
2003 July 7, Delta 2 (7425), currently operating on the surface of Mars. Opportunity, 2003 Mars Exploration Rover 1, MER-1, MER-B, Mars Surveyor 2003 Lander/Rover B (Nasa).
March 2, 2004, Ariane V, currently in interplanetary cruise. Rosetta (ESA). Was scheduled for launch in January 2003, as Mars/asteroid/comet mission, will flyby Mars for gravity assist on August 26, 2005, to finally reach and land on Comet 46 P/Wirtanen in 2011.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Surveyor 2005 Orbiter (Nasa). Arrived at Mars on March 10, 2006, inserted into highly-excentric orbit; now in aerobraking phase scheduled until November 2006.
For future Martian springtimes:
2007 August. Phoenix - the selected Mars 2007 Small Scout Missions (Nasa): An in-situ volatile and organic molecule survey (LPL/Univ of Arizona).
2009 December
Mars Science Laboratory, Mars Smart Lander, Mars 2009 Mobile Scientific Laboratory (Nasa).: Formerly scheduled for 2007, the spacecraft is now to be launched in December 2007, and to arrive at Mars in October 2010.
2009 Late
Phobos-Grunt (Russia). Scheduled sample return mission to Martian moon Phobos.
2009 Late
Beagle 2: Evolution (ESA). Mars Lander.
2011
Mars Scout 2 (Nasa). A mission succeeding and extending the 2007 Mars Scout, Phoenix; details to be defined. Mars Beyond 2009 page (JPL); Mars 2003 and 2005 page (NSSDC)
2011
Exo Mars (ESA). Will include an orbiter and a descent module that will land a highly mobile rover, weighing up to 200 kilograms, on the surface of Mars.
2014
Mars 2014 (Nasa; possible participations from France and Italy) Possibly first sample return mission. Mars Beyond 2009 page (JPL); Mars 2003 and 2005 page (NSSDC)
2016
Mars 2016 (Nasa, international?; under study). Possibly another sample return mission, or orbiters, landers, rovers. May include a Mars Astrobiology Field Laboratory, or Deep Drilling or other technologies. Mars Beyond 2009 page (JPL); Mars 2003 and 2005 page (NSSDC)
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