[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by PhiGam

So spending billions of dollars is warranted because:
1. There are tall mountains and dry riverbeds
2. There may be resources there (although there is no evidence showing this)
3. They have large quantities of the most commonly occuring elements on earth.

Sorry, I'm not drinking your kool aid on this one. Mars exploration is fine- when our economy isn't in the crapper. The money that would be needed for a Mars mission would be better invested in education or a second stimulus package. Going to Mars itself probably won't do much for us- simply because such a mission is very hard to pull off due to the orbit of Mars v. Earth.

NASA is a great program simply because of the technological advances that are a byproduct of space exploration IMO. I think that we should be using NASA scientists (some of the brightest minds in the world) to improve upon renewable energy technologies. Last time I visited Kennedy Space Center they did have a rather large exhibit about renewable energy.

You're not drinking my kool-aid? lol o.k.

There's plenty of evidence in regards to Mars' resources. Like I was saying earlier, the resources it has can be used just like we found a way to use Earth's resources. We just need to be inventive enough to do so.

And I agree. Our economy is not doing very well, but I already talked about that. Once we're on our feet, I think this should be a priority. I said I hope whoever makes it in office, does not cut NASA spending.