Hell yes. If you can afford the trip, then pack your bags. And let’s face it, America will pioneer this effort in the future. Sure we will probably ask for additional funding from other countries. We will probably ask for the world to come together to collaborate on just how to colonize the “Red Planet”. And most of the parts for the ships and Mars Habitats will most likely be “Made in Taiwan”. But it will be an American that first sets foot on the “Red Planet”, and an American that utters those patriotic first words: “Welcome to Mars, make yourself at home”. American’s have always led the way. We are the only ones with enough balls to strap ourselves to a rocket and fire off into history. Sure the Russians finally got up the courage, but only after we showed them that it could be done. And let’s not forget, even though we have had two Space Shuttles explode, we are still in the business.
The real question is what would we do on Mars? And I answer, exploration. Indiana Jones and the Lost Face of Mars. Interstellar Archeology will be the next great investment get rich quick scheme. The possibilities are endless. Mars vacation packages. The Mars Bowl for the Intergalactic Championship Football Game. Mars timeshares will be off the hook. And the Military applications will be endless as well. We can build a Hub on Mars for Deep Space exploration. A springboard for the first American led journey into the next Solar System. All we have to do is create a large enough system of interlocked tunnels and buildings, a hamster cage if you will, with atmospheric control. This structure can be modular, and we could deliver three or four unit per year, and increase the population with each delivery. Bolt up your own community. And if you do it right, you won’t die a horrible death. How’s that for quality control?
Should people be allowed to live on Mars? I have a whole list of people, I would like to send up there now. The only limit to our ability, is lack of imagination, and I can’t think of a better way to breath new life into our Space Program, than to set impossible goals, then achieve them. If John F. Kennedy was President, would he say we can’t? Kennedy would more likely say something like, “We will go to Mars. We will do, what they say can not be done. We will do it in ten years. And we will not ask for help. We will lead the way, and we will succeed. Because that is what we do. That is what makes us the greatest country on Earth. And, that is what will make us the leader in future space exploration. Let them say, we can not do it. Let them say, we will fail. Let them watch, again, as we succeed”.
