The proposed 2020 rover mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term
The science planning process began with the establishment of a science definition team, which was tasked to outline the mission's objectives and the strategies to achieve them, including developing a realistic surface operations scenario, NASA then openly competed the opportunity for the mission's specific payload and science instruments. NASA selected seven science instruments. On the basis of this selection, the Mars 2020 rover would study diverse rocks and soils to understand to seek signs of ancient microbial life, monitor weather and dust in the Martian atmosphere, and test the ability to extract oxygen from the Red Planet's carbon-dioxide atmosphere to prepare for future human exploration. Rock-studying instruments would assist scientists in understanding which samples would be most promising