(CNN) -- During the next decade, the red planet will be the solar systems' most popular travel destination. Pathfinder and Surveyor are the first of nearly a dozen Martian adventures now being planned by three countries, the United States, Russia and Japan.

The optimum launch window for blasting off probes bound for Mars (determined by its orbit in relation to Earth's orbit) comes only once every 26 months. NASA, the United States' space agency, has ambitious plans to launch craft during every available window between now and 2005.

Missions in 2001 and 2003 are envisioned as being joint exercises between the United States and Russia. However, the ambitions of Russia's beleaguered space program in the arena of Mars exploration were dealt a blow when its Mars 96 probe -- designed to beat Pathfinder to the planet -- went awry last year and drifted off course.


Between now and 2005, all the crafts sent to the Red Planet will be disposable

Between now and 2005, all of the craft sent to Mars will be designed to be disposable. After their work is done, they'll either drift through space or stay on the Martian surface.

But in 2005, NASA hopes to have a mission in which a Mars craft will actually return to the Earth -- carrying rock samples that can be analyzed and examined to answer the age-old questions about life on Mars.

And under NASA's timetable, 2012 is the target date for landing the first person on Mars.