Posted by tourdemars to Reconnaissance Orbiter at May 10, 2001 12:00 PM

What could be a story out of an old science fiction magazine is instead a combination of three highly advanced modern sciences — biotechnology, genetics and space exploration — in an attempt to set the stage for a colony of humans on Mars. At the University of Florida, a team of scientists has genetically modified a tiny plant to send reports back from Mars by emitting a fluorescent glow. If all goes as planned, 10 varieties of the plant could be on their way to the red planet as part of a $300 million mission scheduled by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for 2007.