Which planets do space scientists love most?

As BepiColombo heads to Mercury — a long-neglected planet — Nature looks at which planets attract scientific missions, and why. Last week, the BepiColombo spacecraft successfully began its seven-year journey to Mercury — only the third-ever mission sent to the planet. The day before, scientists said that NASA’s next Mars rover — intended to be first to gather and return rock samples to Earth — should visit as many places on the red planet as possible.

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