In the wake of cuts to NASA's budget, and in anticipation of further cuts, some scientists are looking at ways to continue the exploration of Mars on the relative cheap.
One such proposal envisions a network of six penetrator probes crashing into Mars and driving 4 to 8 inches below the surface. The object would be to search for life. Indeed, it would be the first mission dedicated to the search for life since the Viking program of the 1970s. Most scientists think any life on Mars would be subsurface, protected from cosmic radiation, hence the penetrators.
Supporters of the project estimate it could be done for under $300 million, and that it could be ready for launch in 2018.
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