EUROPEAN space scientists yesterday set out a route map to Mars which will rival America's and aim to land astronauts on the Red Planet in 30 years' time.
Like the programme envisaged by United States President George W Bush, the ambitious project will involve a "stepping stone" approach to include robotic missions and a manned trip to the Moon.
Britain is expected to play a leading role in the unmanned missions, and could also be involved in the manned programme with sufficient political backing.
Two "flagship" missions helping to pave the way to Mars have already been planned in detail.
ExoMars is intended to land a rover on Mars in 2009, and Mars Sample Return will return a sample of the Martian surface to Earth in 2011-14.
Dr Franco Ongaro, who heads the European Space Agency's Aurora programme for long term exploration of the Solar System, told scientists meeting in London yesterday, "These are our stones. They will pave the way for our human explorers."
A human mission to the Moon would be attempted in 2024, followed by a manned voyage to Mars in 2030-33.
"We need to go back to the Moon before we go to Mars, we need to walk before we run," he added.
The programme is expected to cost about £614m over the next five years. Britain's share would mean boosting its annual space budget from £180m to about £210m.
ExoMars calls for the development of a Mars orbiter, a descent module and a rover.
Using solar arrays to generate electricity, the rover will be able to travel a distance of several kilometres across the surface of Mars. It will have on-board software and a set of scientific instruments designed to search for signs of past or present life.
Mars Sample Return will be a far more complex mission and plans to bring about half a kilogram of Martian soil back to Earth.
At the conference Professor Colin Pillinger, who was behind Britain's Beagle 2, spoke about the importance of determining whether life existed on Mars and
the risk of bringing back dangerous Martian bugs.
In the past the UK has always distanced itself from manned space flight.