Tightening The Focus On Mars

In the wake of budget cuts that have decimated its Mars exploration program, NASA is trying to formulate a smaller, less expensive approach to exploring the Red Planet. The focus of the new approach will be the search for Martian life-- either extinct life or, possibly, extant life.

Instead of multibillion dollar missions, NASA is asking for project proposals in the $500-$750 million range that would still be scientifically valuable and push forward the search for life. NASA wants the first mission under the new regime ready to fly by 2018 or 2020.