With the success of its first Mars probe, the planned launch of the Galileo satellite navigation system, Europe is emerging as a global space power. But does it have a chance of beating NASA in the space game?

You can’t fly there yet, but that’s not stopping visionaries and NASA from planning a colony on Mars. Would-be Mars dwellers can take a virtual tour of a habitat that includes many of the comforts of home. Welcome to the first Earthling settlement on Mars. The rover vehicle is parked on the left. On the right, there’s a terrestrial biology growth experiment module, or, more simply, a greenhouse. And in the middle, there’s the habitat — a spaceship-like structure where it’s imagined a crew of six astronauts will spend most of their 18-month stay on the red planet.