"Doc" wrote in message
m...
Among all the hoopla surrounding the latest Mars explorer, what I
haven't heard is what this one will do that the previous ones didn't?
The pics sure look pretty much the same. There were rocks there 25
years ago and sure enough, they're still there. And no sightings of
Marvin the Martian yet.

I also haven't seen a pricetag on the things. Anybody?

The photos may look similar, but the scientific work
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/science/
going on behind the beautiful scenes is a first. By learning more about
martian environment, we'll have more information available to formulate a
plan on the history of Mars and how it can benefit us today. Spirit and
Opportunity are not about pretty pictures, they are about expanding our
scientific knowledge - they are paving the way for mankind, since we cannot
go there to explore right now. They are doing an important work.