It’s getting crowded out there on Mars. As if myriad Rovers traversing the Red Planet’s surface weren’t enough, now every Tom, Dick and Harri are sending interplanetary craft (Carpenters music optional) in its direction. The latest nation state to fling some space hardware Mars-wards is India. Its Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will perform a 160-day study of the planet as it orbits in an elliptical journey. If all goes well, more MOMs will follow. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Mangalyaan, India’s mission to Mars – an annotated graphic