What will the first expedition to Mars look like? The truth is, no one really knows. But everyone agrees, it will happen. Some day.

The most important consideration is money. Some estimates put the price tag on a manned Mars mission at $40 billion per person! I think that price can be substantially reduced if the mission is planned one-way. However, a one-way mission needs a means for the crew to sustain life on Mars. This is no simple task, considering the hostile desert that is Mars cannot support human life. So there are trade-offs.

Costs can also be reduced if current technology is used instead of plowing cash into research and development. Man has spent years in space, and we’ve learned a lot along the way. It might be bare bones, but the tech we have has worked for a long time.

Something everyone agrees on, when people do finally go to Mars, all of Earth will be watching.

– Nathan Belway