NASA has moved up the deadline for submission of the “final four” proposals for its planned Mars Scout mission. The four finalists are now expected to submit their designs for remote exploration systems, blending advanced robotics with lab-on-chip technology, by May 15 instead of July. The finalists have each been given an extra $100,000, on top of the $500,000 already promised, to get their designs and feasibility studies in to the agency by the new deadline. NASA has set aside $325 million to build the winning system for a Scout mission to Mars in 2007.