New Mars Rover to Produce Own Oxygen

NASA revealed Thursday all of the crazy new technology that will be featured on the next rover the agency will send to Mars in 2020. The robot, which will cost $130 million, will have an experimental device that allows it to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, instruments for detecting organic compounds, environmental condition sensors, and ground-penetrating radar. The rover will focus on geological assessments, searching for signs of life, and of course, looking to find out the planet’s suitability for supporting human life. “Mars exploration will be this generation’s legacy and the Mars 2020 rover will be another critical step on humans’ journey to the Red Planet,” said NASA administrator Charles Bolden.