China to Mars

China is preparing to launch a probe to Mars in October 2009. The probe pictured below has a life span of 2 years and will first orbit Mars for a year sending back satellite images.
After a year, the probe will land on one of Mars' moons and collect soil samples to bring back to Earth. China just recently launched their first mission to the moon and does not seem to be wasting anytime launching further into space. It would be interesting to see what kind of progress could be made if there was a more united international quest to explore space. It seems that eventually as we explore further and further into space, the Earth will become smaller and it will be necessary to pool our resources.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_To_Launch_Mars_Probe_In_2009_999.html