08-07-09 Agencies outline Mars initiative

The European and US space agencies (Esa and Nasa) have taken a significant step towards teaming up to explore Mars.They have announced a joint initiative for robotic exploration of the Red Planet following a two-day summit in Plymouth,UK,last month.But this means European space ministers now face tough decisions over the future of Esa's ExoMars rover mission.They need to decide whether to totally re-scope ExoMars in the light of new options opened up by the collaboration.Nasa and Esa have been eyeing a mutual arrangement on Mars exploration because of the growing cost of such missions and because of shared science goals.The new initiative is called the Mars Exploration Joint Initiative,or MEJI,and will investigate collaborative activities between the agencies for launch opportunities in 2016,2018 and 2020 (launch opportunities to Mars come up roughly every two years).Nasa and Esa envisage sending landers and orbiters to conduct astrobiological,geological and geophysical investigations on the Red Planet over the coming decade.The ultimate goal of the collaboration is an international mission to bring back geological samples from the Red Planet.