Inspired by the Mars Pathfinder mission, I depict here two future un-manned missions planned to explore Mars. The Mars 2003 rover sits watching the Mars 2005 lander/sample return spacecraft as it descends on parachutes to the Martian surface near Olympus Mons. The lander will retrieve some samples cached within the older rover which has been wandering the Martian surface for about 2 years and will launch them back to Earth for detailed study.

The painting was completed on July 13, 1997. It is a 20 by 16 inch acrylic on canvas board.

Last update: February 3, 1998