Anyway, this Mars mission is to find out what Mars is made of and to try to map its evolution... Interesting but boring lol... (I will be interested) Evidently an upcoming mission will be to one of the ancient lake beds to see if there was ever life on Mars. IMO... that is the one you start with because if you find something then interest will be through the roof (as well as controversy) and funding? Society will say "Take my money".

From what I was reading a manned trip to the moon is on tap. The moon is about 238 thousand miles away...About the amount of mileage people get in an exceptional vehicle. Mars is like 50 million miles away...

One day in the distant future people will probably look at us the same way we look at cavemen throwing rocks at the moon. But I would love to see people travel to Mars in my lifetime... But I also understand that with our present tech it won't be easy.