WHAT DOES THE MARS 2020 MISSION AIM TO ACHIEVE?
The Mars 2020 mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet.
NASA hopes the mission will help to answer key questions about the potential for life on Mars.
The mission also provides opportunities to gather knowledge and demonstrate technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars, including producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, and identifying water.
The mission is timed for a launch in July/August 2020 when Earth and Mars are in good positions relative to each other for landing on Mars.
These pioneering techniques will allow experts to find 'biosignatures' of life - allowing them to make high-resolution maps of postage stamp-sized areas on the red planet. Pictured is an artist's impression of the Mars 2020 rover
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