Mission To Mars -

Mapping the surface minerals and understanding the planet's internal structure.

Mars is a hostile environment that dictates how equipment and habitats are designed: Mars - NASA Science Mission to Mars

Getting to Mars requires overcoming massive gravitational and orbital hurdles: Mapping the surface minerals and understanding the planet's

Earth and Mars align favorably only every 26 months . This alignment, known as "opposition," minimizes the fuel needed for the roughly 300-million-mile trip. known as "opposition