Mars Express, so called because of the rapid and streamlined development time, represents ESA's first visit to another planet in the Solar System. Borrowing technology from the failed Mars 96 mission and ESA's Rosetta mission, Mars Express will help answer fundamental questions about the geology, atmosphere, surface environment, history of water and potential for life on Mars.

Two powerful new Mars rovers are on the red planet. With far greater mobility than the 1997 Mars Pathfinder rover, these robotic explorers may trek as much as 40 meters (44 yards) across the surface in a day. Each rover carries a sophisticated set of instruments to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The rovers are identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched August 12, 2005, is on a search for evidence that water persisted on the surface of Mars for a long period of time. While other Mars missions have shown that water flowed across the surface in Mars' history, it remains a mystery whether water was ever around long enough to provide a habitat for life.

The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS)

Is an instrument on board the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. It combines a 5-wavelength visual imaging system with a 9-wavelength infrared imaging system. Mars Odyssey carries three main science instruments: The Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS), the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), and the Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE).