Mission to Mars approved

5:40 AM Thursday Oct 7, 2010

The United States space agency Nasa announced yesterday that it has given the green light to a mission to Mars aimed at investigating the mystery of how the "red planet" lost its atmosphere.

Nasa gave the approval for "the development and 2013 launch of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission," the agency said in a statement, noting that the project may also show Mars' history of supporting life.