Joint panel selects payload for 2016 Mars orbiter

NASA and the European Space Agency have selected five instruments for a methane-sniffing Mars orbiter scheduled for launch in 2016, the first mission of a transatlantic partnership to reconnoiter the Red Planet.

The payloads will seek methane and other trace gases in the Martian atmosphere and collect high-resolution snapshots of the planet's surface.
Since its discovery on Mars in 2003, methane has been a priority for planetary scientists. The presence of methane implies Mars still harbors microbial life or continues to be geologically active. Scientists say either explanation would prove Mars is not a dead planet.
Representatives from both space agencies selected two spectrometers, two cameras and a radiometer for the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter scheduled for launch in January 2016.
ESA leads the project and is building an entry, descent and landing demonstrator to piggyback on the spacecraft. NASA will provide an Atlas 5 launch vehicle to send the orbiter toward the Red Planet.
The agencies announced the winning payloads Monday after a six-month competition open to researchers in the United States and Europe. Scientists submitted 19 proposals, according to a joint press release.