> > We should be doing more with the money -- taking flight to Mars, establishing a foothold on that planet. A permanent base on Mars.
>
> The last time I heard, with today's technology, it would take six months (earth time) just for them to reach Mars from Earth. Then from what they know. It would take between 6 months - 1 year (or maybe more) of manual labor just to get enough full to make it back to Earth from Mars. [...] The atmosphere of Mars (from what I remember) is a lot thinner than Earth.

If there's a 50%-or-better chance of making it there and surviving, I want to go. If we don't find life there, we ought to seed the planet with microbes, and slowly add more complex things, taking it as high as we can. Mars has got very deep canyons, so colonizing at the base of one of those might provide more air pressure and higher temperature. If still more air is needed, blast deeper. Hey, if it was the only way, we wouldn't exactly be harming the environment to drop a few dozen nukes in strategic places.

Ga"That's a lot of 'if''s"be