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Article: Life on Mars: the search continues. (includes a time line on Mars explorations and a related article on life in the Solar System)
- Article from:
- Science World
- Article date:
- October 18, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Startling Evidence of Past Life on Mars Rocks the Science World." Those were the headlines last August when astronomers announced they'd found "fossils" of ancient life forms in a potato-sized rock from the "Red Planet." Now NASA is sending a fleet of 10 robotic spacecraft--the first since Viking landers explored Mars' surface in 1976--to "dig" for more evidence.
NASA scientists had planned the first two missions well before last summer's big discovery. The Mars Global Surveyor is set for launch next month. By next September, it will begin orbiting Mars, taking detailed photos of the planet's surface. The Mars Pathfinder, due to launch in December, will land on ...