8. Mars Exploration and Cost The switch from the shuttle program to the new exploration initiatives (Mars included) could mean fewer jobs over the next several years. NASA has pumped billions of dollars into Floridaâs economy for over four decades. $4.2 billion has been spent on Mars exploration to date Sometimes miscalculations Often reasons are unknown Reasons for failures 50% success rate overall. Of eleven missions that were to land on the surface of Mars, only six actually transmitted any data after landing. Spirit and Orbiter (the 51 st and 52 nd missions) are currently exploring Mars and have worked 16 times longer than planned and have driven 20 times farther than expected. 54 orbiters and landers have been sent to Mars Began exploring Mars in 1960 Con Pro Information
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11. What Have We Learned? Scientists are not exactly sure how Mars lost its atmosphere, but they hypothesize that Mars did indeed have an atmosphere at one point in its history since liquid water cannot exist without some level of atmosphere. The Loss of the Martian Atmosphere In September 2007, a NASA orbiter captured images of gullies and other landforms in which water may have traveled on Mars. Deposits of minerals such as salt have been found on the surface of Mars where water was thought to have once evaporated from these areas. Presence of Water An orbiter unintentionally captured video evidence of an avalanche on Mars, so scientists definitely feel that there is still geological activity on Mars. Geologic Activity
