NASA reconsiders its role in Mars exploration

Nature : As more countries and commercial companies plan missions to Mars, NASA has begun to rethink its approach to studying the Red Planet. In the past, individual teams of scientists have proposed, built, and operated the scientific instruments that NASA launches into space. However, NASA’s current Mars spacecraft are aging and it has just one new one scheduled to launch in 2020. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency, China, and the United Arab Emirates each plan to launch a rover or orbiter to Mars by 2020. And SpaceX could start sending its Red Dragon landers as early as 2018. As NASA’s influence in space wanes, researchers may need to start applying for time to use scientific instruments already in place, much as astronomers do to use large telescopes. “The era that we all know and love and embrace is really coming to an end,” said Jim Watzin, head of NASA’s Mars exploration program, at a recent Mars advisory group meeting.