The appeal of Mars

A manned mission to Mars is spoken with such certainty now that people know it is only a matter of time before for such a mission happens. The real question though is whether or not it is really feasible to go to Mars, and really why we would want to send a manned mission. This article talks about how the Apollo missions to the moon were quite an impressive feat politically, but ultimately they did not greatly improved scientific knowledge of the moon. So what would be the benefit of going to Mars. One suggestion is that since there is so much out in space that could very well destroy the Earth (such as an asteroid) and thus the human race, it is important the we go out and inhabit other planets to insure our species longevity.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20071109/87313813.html