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"  European scientists unveiled a powerful new employee to help them in this millenium&amp;#039;s take on a space race to Mars and challenge U.S. exploration efforts of the planet: a robotic rover vehicle nicknamed &amp;quot;Bridget.&amp;quot;  In a new effort to find life on the red planet, the &amp;quot;autonomous robotic scientist&amp;quot; will serve as the keystone of what is intended to be the European Space Agency&amp;#039;s (ESA) most advanced attempt to find life on Mars. Designed primarily by UK scientists, the 10 ft.-by-6 ft., six-wheeled vehicle will carry sophisticated equipment and panoramic cameras as it patrols miles of Mars&amp;#039; surface. The vehicle will also drill into the planet&amp;#039;s dusty ground, looking for amino acids, cell membranes, pigments and other signs of life, all without the need for detailed supervision from ground control.  The announcement of the new mission, named ExoMars and set for a 2011 launch, comes after the ill-fated, UK-led Beagle 2 stopped transmitting from its Martian orbit in 2004 and the ESA&amp;#039;s own Huygens mission to Saturn&amp;#039;s moon Titan, which arrived at its destination in January of last year. But the chance to earn some Martian bragging rights comes at a hefty price\u2014Bridget&amp;#039;s price tag exceeds $184 million, and the ExoMars mission itself will cost upwards of $500 million. NASA&amp;#039;s Spirit and Opportunity cost $810 million together.  Meanwhile, members of the privately-funded German Mars Society are proposing a new vehicle that will survey large areas of Mars, at an altitude far lower than that of a satellite. Called Archimedes, the craft will hang from a balloon as it floats above the Martian surface after its projected 2009 arrival.\u2014Andrew Nusca Related: Beholding Saturn: Cassini&amp;#039;s Images Revealed, Lord of the Rings: Huygens&amp;#039; Descent to Titan (Red) Land Rover: The U.K.-designed Mars rover Bridget will join ESA&amp;#039;s Mars exploration program. A mockup of Bridget on display at the ESA&amp;#039;s Space Pavillion. Images: ESA-M.Pedoussaut. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a3479/3042066/>