Erik and everyone else, I recommend the book "Packing for Mars" by Mary Roach. Written a few years ago, she is a scientist/journalist who seriously researched all the "little things" that go into human space exploration. While you will laugh a great deal, hopefully you will, like myself, come to the realization it just ain't that easy. Thanks to her research, you will get a clearer understanding about what we, as a nation, asked all our astronauts (and cosmonauts - she researched them too) to put up with. It's not so much about the "right stuff" but more about " what are you willing to put up with to go into space." Then contemplate a 500 day mission to Mars - yikes! Being alone with the same few p eople for 500 days, feeding those few people for 500 days, handling human waste disposal for 500 days, providing enough air for 500 days . The ability to get the ship and to and from Mars is easy, the devil is in the details.