Scientific objectives of the Mars Rover/Sample Return mission

The prospective Mars Rover/Sample Return mission is designed to better understand the origin and evolution of Mars, to search for evidence of former life, and to improve knowledge of the Martian environment in preparation for subsequent human exploration. Mars is of particular interest because it formed in a different part of the solar system from the earth, has experienced a wide range of geologic and meteorological processes, is the only planet other than earth where life is likely to have started, and will be the first among the planets to be explored by humans. The rover provides a means of exploring the planet on a human scale and of performing a wide range of in situ measurements at different locations.