As a result of the $20 million added to the Mars 2001 mission by the Senate Appropriations Committee following mobilizations by the Mars Society and the Planetary Society, NASA is now considering restoring a rover to the mission.
June 18th, 1998
Mars Society 2001 Rover Mobilization Scores Partial Success
As a result of tandem mobilizations by the Mars Society and the Planetary Society, the Senate VA-HUD-IA Appropriations Committee voted June 11 to restore $20 million in badly needed funds to support the NASA’s 2001 robotic Mars lander mission.
June 5th, 1998
Mars Society Calls for Mobilization to Save Mars 2001 Mission Rover
As a result of the Clinton Administration’s pulling of $60 million in committed funds to support the Mars 2001 mission, NASA has canceled plans to fly the “Athena” robotic rover to Mars in that year.
November 7th, 1997
Science Team and Instruments Selected for Mars Surveyor 2001 Missions Florida Today
Two robotic spacecraft scheduled for launch in mid-2001 to orbit and land on Mars will carry a descent camera, a multispectral imager, and a robotic rover capable of traversing tens of miles across the red planet’s rocky highlands.