September 15, 2008--NASA's next Mars-bound robotic spacecraft, Maven, is set to launch in 2013 and should look much like this artist's conception.

The 485-million-U.S.-dollar mission will explore the evolution of the red planet, including the mysterious climate changes that removed most of Mars's once dense atmosphere.

Maven was chosen from among 20 mission proposals submitted to NASA. The craft is slated to orbit Mars for an entire Earth year--about half of one Martian year.