Mars and the 'mohawk guy': Nasa basks in PR triumphs even as funding shrivels

Major discoveries and colourful characters are helping the agency launch a public-relations offensive as it seeks to maintain a record of impressive achievements on a shoestring budget

As space exploration goes, it looked like a good week for Nasa.

The revelation that scientists had discovered water on Mars - or, more accurately, uncovered evidence of certain chemicals in rocks that suggested recent liquid flows - piqued interest in the Red Planet ahead of this weekend's launch of the sci-fi blockbuster The Martian.