My guess is that the real first Mars mission will be a corporate-sponsored endorsementfest. What CEO wouldn't love to hear his company's name mentioned just as the famous "first footprint" is made on the Red Planet? "And now, ladies and gentlemen (beep)... the First Step on Mars, brought to you by (beep) Kotex® pads, liners and tampons. Kotex® -- a division of Kimberly-Clark." (Extra points if the astronaut making the first footprint is a woman.)
For that matter, the Mars mission team will probably go the full NASCAR route to raise money for the mission. I can see it now: the giant Ares V booster painted with the festive white-on-red Dynamic Ribbon Device, the words "Enjoy Coca-Cola" shining on its hydrogen tank... the ship's computers displaying both the Macintosh Apple and "Intel Inside" logos (and perhaps the Linux penguin) during televised appearances by the astronauts... and of course brightly-colored spacesuits emblazoned with festively-colored sponsors' logos. "We now see Mission Commander Bryce Hollway coming down the ladder in his bright green Team Viagra® spacesuit."
I look forward to the day when I can flip on the tube and see the Gatorade Mars Mission Highlights of the Day or sleep well knowing that the Tucks Medicated Hemhhroid Pads Morning Mars Mission Report awaits me on the radio at six past the hour.
Sounds good to me. Tax payers don't have to pay it and the sponsers get what they want.