Well, great. And then what??
The problem I have with going to Mars is that beyond being a very expensive publicity stunt, I have yet to see anything that addresses what the benefits will be.
Just what are we getting for the money we are spending on launching a Mission from the bottom of a very deep gravity well, to go touch down at the bottom of yet another deep gravity well? Even if the first thing Mars Explorers found was a 100 Trillion barrel resevoir of the purest Sweet Crude Oil ever found, just how would we get it home??
We know that we can support human life in longterm low Earth orbit. It's time to build on that, and figure out a way to build an ISS that can get underway and go explore something practical, like the Asteroids to see what there is to be used for orbital manufacturing. Why not build a solar powered aluminum smelter at one of the LaGrange points and feed it asteroids to make metal?? A steady supply of relatively cheap metal products, without the need to fit it into the cargo bay of a Shuttle, would be invaluable.
I look at what a single techological achievement, like the Wright Brothers made a century ago, can do to completely revamp our civilization and the way we think about solving different problems. Everything was "impossible" at one time or another...
Shhhhh, 'conservatives' have their pet projects. Like all good Republicans, they don't mind if money is wasted, as long as it's wasted on something 'we' want.
I look at what a single techological achievement, like the Wright Brothers made a century ago, can do to completely revamp our civilization and the way we think about solving different problems. Everything was "impossible" at one time or another...
Well that should give you a hint right there. The Wrights were not being funded by the government. They had to produce viable results that would provide a return on investment. This space jaunt? It's just more waste to revitalize nationalism in space exploration. The only result you'll see are packs of nerds with foam 'We're #1' fingers running around in the streets
Of course convincing someone to get on one of these ships, built on 40 year old technology by government contractors trying to get as much as they can out of the government, will be another thing. Will need a couple of real 'true believers'
> I have yet to see anything that addresses what the benefits will be.
Alaska.