New Horizons Gains Speed from Jupiter

While this article has nothing to do with Mars directly, it talks about a method of gaining speed that will most likely be needed in order to send people to Mars. In some way or other, getting to Mars will probably involve using the Moon, either to land on it and relaunch or use its gravity for a speed boost. New Horizon's flyby of Jupiter will give the craft speed while also giving the added benefit of being able to carry out research. In particular, the magnetotail will be studied for the first time, which may reveal some interesting facts about the nature of gravity amongst the planets. It's quite a convenient situation that getting to Pluto requires a close pass of Jupiter along the way.