As everyone not living on another planet knows, we have landed robotic exploration "rovers" on Mars and announced that we plan to send humans there during the next decade or so. Teams of scientists and engineers have been pondering this journey for several years, just as dreamers have envisioned it since our ancestors first raised their eyes beyond the horizon millions of years ago. Deemed feasible when the first astronauts lifted off atop those powerhouse rocket engines nearly a half century ago, the trip appeared to be possible when Apollo alighted on the moon's surface in 1969. Just enhance the en- gineering and we are off-until issues such as budget, power, distance, and nourishing the flyers are quantified.
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