NASA to choose between three new missions

Earlier this week, NASA announced through CalTech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that it will soon choose between three potential new projects: a new Mars lander, a comet hopper, or a lunar sailboat. Each of the three teams proposing their individual missions will receive $3 million to "conduct its mission's concept phase or preliminary design studies and analysies," according to the report out of the JPL. The winning mission will be chosen in 2012, and will go on to receive $245 million, not including the cost of the launch.