[RightWhale]

life-sustaining ice and water might exist even today below the Martian surface -- water that could potentially support a human mission to Mars.

Mission to Mars? A mission?

There is water on Mars, lots of water. When we go to Mars let's go to stay, a settlement, permanent. Enough of this Apollo thinking: a one-off design--it's the least efficient way to accomplish something lasting.

[petuniasevan]

Well, of course. Apollo was a "flags and footprints" mission; good for photo-ops and our national ego, not so good for actual science or R&D.

We need to do some aggressive work in the quest for Moon bases and the (manned) exploration of Mars; either we accept the inevitable losses or we sit back and watch the Chinese. They won't let accidents stop their space program (of course they hold human life cheap but the results are what I'm referring to).