And, for those space-cadets who still dream of a manned mission to the planet, there is also the Mars radiation environment experiment.

ECONOMIST: Mars Odyssey

The mission of the mobile science laboratory is to determine whether Mars ever had an environment capable of supporting life.

CNN: Mars rover captures nearby rocket 'footprint'

The rover's mission is to determine whether Mars ever had an environment capable of supporting life, and its prime target is Mount Sharp, the 18, 000-foot (5, 500-meter) peak about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) to the south.

CNN: Mars panorama shows Curiosity's prime target