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By  Trevor Mogg   NASA The mission could provide vital information that helps pave the way for a human trip to Mars. As the rover’s own name cleverly suggests, Mars 2020 is set to head for the red planet in three years’ time. The mission, assuming everything goes to plan, will see the rover carry out geological assessments of its landing site on Mars, as well as examine the habitability of the harsh environment. It’ll also search for signs of ancient Martian life, and attempt to make an assessment of the natural resources and hazards for future human visitors. Its work could also lead to the first-ever return of rock samples from the planet. Landing site After a recent meet-up with scientists at a workshop in Monrovia, California, NASA has taken a big step toward choosing the all-important landing site for Mars 2020. The team narrowed the choice from eight locations to three, though the original list included 30 different sites. First up is Columbia ...

A London museum is surveying five centuries of robotic developments to learn about the societies they come from. London’s Science Museum is exhibiting some 100 robot models, ranging from a 15th century automaton to cutting-edge humanoids that are capable of expressing emotions. Organizers of the show called “Robots” consider it a chance to both depict and tackle misconceptions and fears of robots while studying their evolution through time. The robots are either borrowed, purchased or donated from personal collections and only 16 of them are fully functional. But curators expect something beyond operational machines from their show. “Robots” will go on until September the 3rd. However, more sensitive items such as a 244 year-old working swan will be featured for a limited time to maintain their upkeep.