HITTING THE MARTIAN HIGHWAY

THIS WEEK NASA WILL DELIVER A QUINTESSENTIALLY AMERICAN PRODUCT TO MARS: A BRAND-NEW CAR

Later this week, Brian Cooper will at last get the chance to drive the company car. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a cause for worry, but Cooper has reason to be nervous. Hundreds of his co-workers and more than a thousand reporters will be looking over his shoulder--to say nothing of the 25 million people who are expected to tune in live on the World Wide Web.

What fascinates this global audience is not so much the nature of the vehicle; at just 1 ft. tall and 2 ft. long, the boxy, six-wheeled, 22-lb. car is nobody's idea of a roadster. But...

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