Mars? Really?

Mars or Bust! NASA wants to go to Mars.

I suppose that's a lovely thing to wish for, but we should really start undoing the damage to Terra before we--as humans--go afield and screw up another planet.I support nearly all scientific endeavors, but this seems really small.Okay, let us put aside the absolute wisdom regarding sending a manned mission to the red planet. I really do not like sociology, even when it concerns science. What kind of technical issues are there? There are really only two. Adequate propulsion and life support.I am not a rocket scientist..and rocket scientists aren't particle physicists ;)

It appears that NASA is eyeing Solar Electric Propulsion to move masses to the red planet. Strangely, Wikipedia has a much better treatment on the subject.

My big issue with this technology is the cost/benefit ratio. It will not be cheap to do. The reason for this is quite basic. Ion engines don't give you escape velocity energy levels. So, at present we are looking at bog standard chemically propelled initial stages, and then a transition to more advanced forms of propulsion. Not cheap. That will not get funded in the current(pardon the obvious pun) climate(another zing!).

What about life support?

This isn't your standard technical set of issues. It is more a managing humans over long periods issue where technology will be brought to bear. Will gaming be part of the equation? How about sex? I am certain NASA will want their astronauts to arrive in fine fettle. Just how does one insure mental stability as well as physical fitness over great times and distances?

We simply do not know. Are nootropic chemicals part of the answer? What about psychedelics? There are lots of unknowns, and no animal models with which to guide us. People put in isolation over much shorter time frames have not fared very well. Although the Russians claimed to have had success in attempting to model a likely environment. I would go batty.

No Mars, please. Let us clean up this rock first.