A Curiosity type rover except with instruments
designed by astrobiologists instead of geologists.

The site says the funding is still up in the air, anyone
know if it's funded yet?



Mars 2020 Rover

Relevance to Astrobiology

The Mars 2020 mission will address key questions about the potential for
life on Mars. The mission will study aspects of the geologic and
climatic history of Mars that are relevant to questions surrounding
habitability in the planet’s past and present.

Many of the potential goals for the Mars 2020 mission that are currently
being developed are directly relevant to Astrobiology. These include:

- Determine whether life ever arose on Mars
– Seeking signs of past life (biosignatures) in the geological record
– Characterize the climate of Mars
– Characterize the geology of Mars

NASA Astrobiology Involvement

Mars 2020 is the next step in NASA’s robotic exploration of Mars, a
primary target of astrobiology research in the Solar System, and will
build on the accomplishments of MSL. Many researchers supported by
elements of the Astrobiology Program are involved in the design and
development of the Mars 2020 mission and its scientific goals.

The Astrobiology Program also funds the development of instruments that
could be included on the Mars 2020 mission.

The Astrobiologists

NAI NASA Ames Research Center Team A key goal of Mars 2020 is to use
environmental context measurements to identify habitable environments
and prioritize among samples for cache, based on both biological and
preservation potential. David Des Marais’ work in relating mineralogy to
habitability directly informs the strategies that could be employed on
Mars 2020, and he served as part of the 2020 science definition team.


https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/missions/2020-mars-rover/