ABSTRACT
In 1993, u.s., european, and russian space agencies worked together to create the International Mars Exploration Working Group. The group’s charter was to define a common strategy for robotic and human exploration of Mars. One of the working group’s recommendations was that a network of small stations be installed on the surface of Mars. These stations would be designed to gather the data necessary to understand the planet’s internal structure, shape and rotational state, magnetic properties, and atmospheric circulation and weather patterns, among other factors.
