For the assignment, write at least 1 page (single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-pointfont, 1 inch margins), and no more than 3 pages combined, addressing the followingtopics:

1) NASA’s newest Mars mission, InSight (https://mars.nasa.gov/insight), is due toland on Mars next month, on Nov 26 (the Monday after Thanksgiving)! Readabout the mission’s motivation, design and scientific objectives. What aspect(s)of it excite you the most? WHY?

2) NASA’s next rover mission, under development for a planned launch in 2020,will land at a location on Mars that may be determined this week, by scientistscurrently meeting in CA to debate the merits of four “finalist” candidate sites(https://marsnext.jpl.nasa.gov). Peruse the materials available describing eachcandidate landing site, and the rover mission objectives. Which of the fourlanding sites would you choose? WHY?

3) Beyond the 2020 rover, the future of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program remainsimprecisely defined. Should all resources be dedicated to robotic return ofsamples from the surface? Or should we prioritize in situ life detection on Mars?Should we send more rovers to explore the “runner-up” sites not chosen forCuriosity or Mars 2020? More “InSight-like” landers to build up a Mars seismicnetwork? Should we land on the poles? Attempt aerial exploration? Shouldhuman missions be involved, and how? These are just a subset of the ideas underconsideration. Accounting for what has already been done, what science wouldyou prioritize for the next decade of robotic Mars exploration? WHY?

Please devote a paragraph or two to each of the above topics, answering in your ownwords and connecting it to subjects discussed in class where possible, while alsoincorporating your own experience or interests.

The writing assignments will be graded based on the following criteria:

(1) format (length, spacing, etc.)

(2) sciencecontent (quality, connecting tothecoursematerials,etc)

(3) overallcontent(accuracyindescriptions,thoughtfulnessofdiscussion)