[BenLurkin]

Diagram of Lockheed Martin’s Mars Base Camp. Credit: Lockheed Martin

[raiderboy]

Mars is a totally uninhabitable rock in space. We are totally broke. Why would we waste more printed money on such a futile worthless endeavor. Take the money and pay down the national debt,

[knarf]

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Earth’s moon would be the most logical staging area if we are going to head in that direction.

[Beautiful_Gracious_Skies]

Flashback from 1993: -Steve Paddock, what a coincidence!

Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. September 1, 1993
(Phone: 202/358-1600)

RELEASE: 93-157
NASA NAMES TEAM TO STUDY RETURN TRIP TO MARS

NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin today announced the establishment of a study team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., to explore possibilities for a return mission to Mars to recover some of the scientific objectives of the Mars Observer mission, if communications with that spacecraft cannot be reestablished.
The study team, led by Dr. Charles Elachi, Assistant Laboratory Director at JPL, will look at a variety of low-cost spacecraft, instrument and launch options, with the objective of returning to Mars in 1994 or 1996.

The team will review available spacecraft and instrument options from industry and government, including Mars Observer spares and possible international contributions. The team is expected to present potential mission options to NASA within the next 2 months.

Members of the study team currently include:

Arden Albee California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Carl Sagan Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
Bruce Murray California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
John Casani JPL
Tom Coughlin Applied Physics Laboratory, Baltimore

STEVE PADDOCK Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Eugene Giberson JPL (retired)
Ray Heacock JPL (retired)
Jonathan Lunine University of Arizona, Tucson
Rich Matlock Ballistic Missile Defense Office, Washington, D.C.
Donna Pivirotto JPL
Rob Staehle JPL
John Beckman JPL
Larry Soderblom U.S. Geologic Survey, Flagstaff, Ariz.
Carolyn Porco University of Arizona, Tucson
Bud Wheelon Hughes Aircraft Co. (retired), Los Angeles

https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/news/news1.htm

[Darteaus94025]

The first spacecraft should be full of government officials and liberals, so the job can be done right. Maybe the second, third and fourth spacecraft as well.

[Paal Gulli]

From the linked story:

"NASA is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s."

Looks like that puts the kibosh on Trump wants NASA to send humans to Mars pronto — by his second term ‘at worst’.

Like you couldn't see that one coming....