Craft to be built for flying over Mars

Ares, or Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey of Mars, is a new craft built for specifically one purpose, as it's name suggests, to fly over the terrain of Mars. The BBC reported on Friday that several successful half size flights have been done, and the go ahead has been given for a full sized model to be made. "Ares represents a dramatic leap in the exploration of Mars, as it combines many of the best aspects of an orbiter and a lander. Landers make detailed measurements of a small area, orbiters make cruder measurements over great swathes of terrain. An autonomous flyer bridges the gap between the two. The full-size prototype is scheduled to make its first flight later this year, with a similar deployment test in the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere."