Travel to Mars – on a one-way ticket?, Houston Chronicle
“A blue-ribbon panel on human spaceflight recently declared Mars to be NASA’s ultimate objective, but admitted humans aren’t going there any time soon. In fact, the Augustine panel appointed by President Barack Obama said that without a substantial infusion of cash, NASA couldn’t even send humans back to the moon in the next few decades. Depressing news, indeed, for the city that trains and houses astronauts. But what if NASA could land astronauts on Mars in a decade, for not ridiculously more money than the $10 billion the agency spends annually on human spaceflight? It’s possible, say some space buffs, although there’s a catch. The astronauts we’d send would never come home.”
