British engineers are designing a Moon landing mission that would also test key technologies to take to Mars. The MoonTwins (Moon Technological Walk-through and In-situ Network Science) concept would put two probes on the lunar surface - one at each pole - to do science experiments. The work is being undertaken by the aerospace company Astrium at the request of the European Space Agency. Esa plans eventually to go to the Red Planet to retrieve rocks for analysis on Earth, and the Moon is seen as a good place to develop the know-how.
The UK could soon have its first mission to the Moon - an orbiting spacecraft that would fire instruments into the lunar surface. The "penetrators" would yield new information about the rocky interior. BBC News understands the venture is being considered by Britain's astronomy funding agency, PParc, and may pass to the government as a full proposal.