Nasa descends on Icelandic lava field to prepare for Mars

<p>TO prepare for the next mission to Mars in 2020, Nasa has taken to the lava fields of Iceland to get its new robotic space explorer ready for the job.</p> <p>With its black basalt sand, wind-swept dunes and craggy peaks, the Lambahraun lava field at the foot of Iceland&#8217;s second biggest glacier, Langjokull, was chosen as a stand-in for the Red Planet&#8217;s surface.</p>

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