The Right Way – and the Wrong Way – to Explore Mars

31 October 2004: Spirit and Opportunity Pushing the Bounds of Exploration, Aviation Week

“When the rovers landed last January, they had a minimum design specification for 90 sols (Martian days) of life. But Spirit this week is closing in on 300 sols as Opportunity presses toward 275. Some engineers believe the rovers could now survive 600 or more sols, well into 2005.”

2 November 2004: ‘Money woes’ foiled Beagle 2 shot, BBC

“A report into the loss of British Mars probe Beagle 2 says a failure by the UK government to commit funds early enough undermined the project’s credibility.”