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Space Geology: From the Moon to Mars

from Scientific American

Forty years ago this month the lunar surface reverberated with life for the first time. Forty years from now will Mars, too, come alive?

... For now, policy makers are worried less about Mars than about the downtime between the last shuttle launch and first Ares flight, during which the U.S. will depend on Russia or private companies to launch its astronauts into orbit.

... Although Mars is still far off, at least NASA is designing spacecraft with an eye toward an eventual interplanetary flight. Planners are guided by the experiences that Harrison H. Schmitt relates in a Scientific American article.