I took a tour of Johnson Space Center two years ago, a/k/a “The Angry Birds Exhibit.” They showed us the planned mission control for the Mars mission, along with the mock-up of the space vehicle.
The mock-up looked like a slightly larger Apollo capsule (four guys are going to live in that for over a year on a one-way trip? Sure they are...).
At the mission control, the guide said they were looking at a launch window around 2035. My question “So you’re telling me the astronauts for that mission are maybe in Kindergarten?” He looked annoyed and said “Yes.”
We aren’t going to Mars.
Horah! for seeing through the reality distortion field ... the kids are not going to get anywhere near the education they will need for such a trip even if it were to happen. The best that could be hoped for is that they will know which button to push when and which screen shows what ... but if anything goes awry, they will be unable to think without something to tell them what to do, unable to improvise on their own.
Three guys had a difficult time living in the Apollo capsule for 7 days ... I’m sure the guy who did not go down to the surface was relieved to be alone.
There really is no serious plan to return to manned missions - what there is is a) just for show, b) keep the skills alive, c) keep the politicians happy, d) and most importantly keep their jobs.
Any serious plan would see a major effort to return the US educational system back to what it was prior to 1936. Short of that, look overseas - the US is done (all thanks goes to Nixon).