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Discoveries about life on Earth inspire Beagle 2
The nineteenth century spirit of discovery is inspiring the effort to land the first probe on Mars in the twenty first century. Last week, as if to give the inspiration a boost, the largely-British team building the Beagle 2 lander for Mars Express held the second meeting for 'adjunct' scientists in one of the finest nineteenth century monuments to discoveries about life on Earth - the Natural History Museum in London.
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Red Seas
Michael Malin’s quest began almost 30 years ago, when the spacecraft Mariner 9 snapped a few pictures of Mars’s surface. The probe sent back photos of volcanoes, flood channels and craters - and some intriguing shots of mounds of layered rock in huge canyons.
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Sign on to Mars mission
Lots of people talk about the need for a mission to Mars. The Mars Society, a nonprofit organization of scientists, space buffs and average citizens, is doing something about it - circulating a petition calling for such a mission to reach Mars by 2015.
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Clinton foresees humans on Mars
Sending humans to Mars is "a question of when, not if," President Bill Clinton said in an exclusive interview with the Discovery Channel. Clinton also discussed the the International Space Station and the future of Earth’s environment during the interview, one of many valedictory chats he has conducted during his administration’s final days.
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Mars pioneer remembered
It was a clear September afternoon, 1992, and the VIP bleachers across from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station were energized. Mars Observer - NASA's first mission to the Red Planet in nearly 20 years - was set to go or blow. Sitting uncharacteristically alone, wearing a baseball cap, was a slightly built and unassuming guy named Gerald Soffen. During America's bicentennial summer, Soffen had been at the center of the media universe. On this day, the sidelines appeared to suit him just fine.
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Sedimentary Mars
In what ultimately may be their most significant discovery yet, Mars scientists say high-resolution pictures showing layers of sedimentary rock paint a portrait of ancient Mars that long ago may have featured numerous lakes and shallow seas.  Listen to this story.
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The man who wants a return ticket to Mars
Gil Levin cornered the British scientist near the door. He’d flown to San Diego at his own expense to try to talk someone at a conference of scientists into taking his latest experiment to Mars. The European Space Agency mission, set for 2003, looked like his last chance.
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Frosty craters on Mars
The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has taken a series of images showing frost moving across the Martian surface.
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Europe plays a major part in future Mars exploration
Starting with Mars Express and Beagle 2 and ending with a possible Sample Return Mission, Europe will be making a major contribution to Mars exploration over the next two decades. Europe's plans complement the new programme recently announced by NASA in the wake of last year's mission losses.
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Life From Mars? New research brings up interesting possibilities.
In an exclusive article written for the Planetary Society's bi-monthly magazine The Planetary Report, researchers from Caltech, in Pasadena California, discuss their recent discovery that shows it is possible for a rock to be violently blasted off of another planet (in this case Mars), travel through interplanetary space, and re-enter the atmosphere of another planet (in this case Earth) without portions of the rock being heated over 40C (104F).
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From Red Centre To Red Planet
Australia could may one day become a player in the international effort to send people to Mars, with the recent announcement of a grant to Mars Society Australia for design and construction of the Human Operations Prototype (HOP) Mars rover as part of Project Marsupial.
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Mars sample return plan carries microbial risk, group warns
Should NASA bring back Mars soil or rock to Earth? While the space agency hopes to accomplish that feat within the decade, the International Committee Against Mars Sample Return (ICAMSR) warns it could infect Earth with an interplanetary plague.
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| Mars Observing Resources
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MarsNet
MarsNet is the WWW arm of the International Mars Watch, a group founded by professional astronomers interested in Mars to facilitate better communication between the amateur and professional Mars observing communities. |
The Planet Mars:
A History of Observation and Discovery
An online book by psychiatrist and amateur astronomer William Sheehan, about a history of fascination - the story of a continuing line of amateur and professional astronomers dedicated to the observation of the planet Mars. |
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A.L.P.O. Mars Section
Contact information for the Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers and some lunar resources provided by the association. |
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Clickable Atlas of Mars
This atlas will let you explore high-resolution color maps of most of Mars, with pages that should load quickly even without your having to buy a faster modem |
| Mars Data Resources
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Mars Today
A daily poster depicting the current conditions on Mars and its relationship to Earth in four panels. |
Daily Martian Weather Report
The latest martian meteorological measurements from the Mars Global Surveyor Radio Science Team are posted regularly on this page. |
Mars (Views of the Solar System)
Comprehensive information on all aspects of Mars, covering the Mars missions, major features, animations and information on its two moons. |
Mars (Nine Planets)
Information on the red planet with a general overview and more detailed coverage on the planet and its moons, the 'face' on Mars and Mars in the Arts. |
Virtual MarsJava applet draws the Martian globe as it is currently lit by the Sun. The user can turn the globe by clicking on it. Surface features and spacecraft landing sites are labeled for easy identification. |
PDS
Mars ExplorerThe Mars Explorer allows you to get an image map of any area on Mars at a variety of zoom factors, image sizes, and map projections. |
Center for Mars Exploration
NASA site with features including historical references to Mars, previous Mars mission information, tools to analyze Mars, current Mars news, and much more. |
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Exploring Mars
This site is intended to serve as a starting point for web-assisted exploration of Mars, and is designed to be used by casual browsers as well as those who are seeking detailed and authoritative information. |
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| Special News Coverage of Mars
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CNN: Destination MarsKeep up to date with CNN's ongoing coverage of the Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor Missions. |
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JPL: Mars Missions
The lastest martian news releases from JPL. The site also contains all of the mission status reports for Pathfinder and Global Surveyor. |
Mars Team Online
Contains live webchats about Mars with NASA experts; an email service (and archive servixe) in which NASA experts answer your individual questions; biographies of NASA experts and background sections and Mars mission information. |
| Mars Societies and Ventures
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The Mars Society
The Purpose of the Mars Society is to further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. This is achieved by 1) Broad public outreach to instill the vision of pioneering Mars;. 2) Support of ever more aggressive government funded Mars exploration programs around the world; 3) Conducting Mars exploration on a private basis. |
Think Mars
Think Mars is dedicated to making human Mars exploration happen by overcoming the financial, managerial and political barriers that currently exist |
West to Mars
The home page for those people wishing to support a manned Mars mission in the near future. |
 RedColony.com
A site devoted to the terraforming and colonization of Mars. |
| Life on Mars
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Life on Mars
A NASA research team of scientists at the Johnson Space Center and at Stanford University has found evidence that strongly suggests primitive life may have existed on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. This site contains video and animation clips related to this discovery. |
Life
on Mars
This web site is tracking new and breaking developments and providing pointers to related online resources following the announcement by NASA of the possible discovery of signs of early life on Mars. |
| Mars Missions
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Mars Surveyor 2001 Mission
The launch opportunity for the 2001 orbiter opens March 7, 2001 and extends 20 days to March 26, 2001. The earliest Mars arrival is December 10, 2001 when the spacecraft will be aerocaptured into a circular, near polar orbit. |
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| Miscellaneous Mars Resources
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The Enterprise Mission
The Enterprise Mission is dedicated to the expanding research program seeking the facts behind the discovery in the last 4 years of "intelligently-designed, ancient artificial structures" on additional NASA and Soviet photos, not only of Mars... but of the Moon... - For conspiricy theorists everywhere! |
NASA Facts: The Face on Mars
In 1976 an interesting image taken by the Viking 1 Orbiter was received at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which contained a surface feature resembling a human or ape-like face. The photo was immediately released to the public as an interesting geological feature and dubbed the "Face on Mars." |
Mars Meteorite Home Page
Of the 20,000 meteorites that have been discovered on Earth, only 12 have been identified as originating from the planet Mars. |
International Committee Against Mars Sample ReturnA group of professional scientists and amateur space enthusiasts who think there is a chance that a Mars microbe could wreak havoc on terrestrial species, which would have no natural defenses against the alien invaders. |
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| Mars Books
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Dark Life
US$16.10, 1999
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The Hunt for Life on Mars
US$11.86, 1998
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Mars: The Living Planet
US$25.00, 1997
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Mars: Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet
US$25.00, 2000
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Managing Martians
US$18.75, 1998
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Mars (Space Science Series)
US$95.00, 1992
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Patrick Moore on Mars
US$22.46, 1999
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The Planet Mars : A History of Observation & Discovery
US$19.95, 1996
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Lowell and Mars
US$25.95, 1996
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Destination Mars; In Art, Myth, and Science
US$29.95, 1997
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The Mars Project
US$9.85, 1991
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The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet
US$17.50, 1996
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Dead Mars, Dying Earth
US$20.21, 2000
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The Case for the Face: Scientists Examine the Evidence for Alien Artifacts on Mars
US$15.26, 1998
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The Martian Enigmas: A Closer Look
US$16.11, 1997
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The Traveller's Guide to Mars
US$5.56, 1997
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Red Mars
US$5.59, 1993
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Mars: The Red Planet
DVD; US$19.99, 1999
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MARS 2000: The Complete Guide to Robotic and Human Exploration of the Red Planet
CDROM; US$29.95, 1999
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