What does NASA's Mars 2020 mission look like? * Juno Spacecraft>dragon Spacecraft

NASA’s 2020 Mars 2020 spacecraft is expected to take advantage of the Martian terrain to create a habitat and scientific instrumentation that can eventually be reused for human exploration.NASA plans to send its spacecraft to Mars in 2018, but the first missions will take place after the 2020 rover leaves Earth’s orbit in 2021.

The robotic spacecraft is a “dereliction” of the Mars 2020 landing mission, a NASA spokesperson said, and will be used to build a “habitable surface habitat” that will serve as the site for future missions to Mars.NASA said in a statement that the mission will be a “comprehensive analysis” of “several thousand meters of terrain and features,” and will include “a wide variety of measurements of the environment, including terrain composition, composition and structure, and dust and ice deposition.”

The spacecraft will be able to measure the soil, air and water on the surface of Mars by using a variety of techniques, including geophysical and atmospheric measurements, “radar measurements, spectral measurements, and imaging.”

In 2020, the mission’s primary mission will include studying the Martian atmosphere and “exploring the impact of a spacecraft landing on Mars.”

The 2020 rover will carry a rover and rover equipment that will “use its suite of instruments to perform a detailed investigation of the surface environment,” NASA said.

The spacecraft will also carry a variety.

The 2020 mission will have a range of missions, including:Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+.

Originally published on Space.com.