TOKYO Mars has been generating a lot of interest lately. "The idea of sending probes to Mars has spread widely in society this year," said Hideaki Miyamoto, a planetary geology professor at the University of Tokyo.
The interest was fueled primarily by the announcement in June by SpaceX, an American space venture, of a plan to send humans to Mars within the next decade. CEO Elon Musk said his company will develop and launch a large rocket to carry astronauts to the planet.
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