As far as man going to Mars, is all the hardware for such a mission off the drawing board? Is it all tested and on the production line? Also seems the ISS has a number of glitches lately along with the Shuttle (Columbia disaster)

I would also think with all the discussion about government spending, can the expenditure be justified by some useful benefit of a manned mission to Mars? Other than human curiosity. I have found recent discoveries interesting but has there really been any tangible benefit of these discoveries? Will it really change anything for us on Earth? Are we willing to give something up to pay for the mission? Seems the United States currently has a lot on its plate. Perhaps now is not the time for manned missions to Mars, IE not a high priority. Robotic missions are less expensive. Right? Erik Personally, I believe that not until a radically new form of propulsion is

discovered will human travel, even to the Moon, be feasible, what with all of the pressing demands here on Earth. On the other side, Steve Squires, head of science for the Mars Exploration Rovers, has stated that a human geologist in a day or two could have done all of the science that the MERs have taken five years to accomplish. We need speed, efficiency, and a minimum amount of fuel weight for whatever rocket we invent. Whose got the dilithium crystals, now that we need 'em?

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