Why bother?

This is probably the main point most people make when arguing against space exploration, despite it being heavily flawed. The technological, economic, and political gains of achieving ambitious goals in space exploration such as the Apollo missions, gives it by far the best return on investment of any government program, and there is no reason to doubt that a mission to Mars would be any different.

We've gone into more details about each of these areas below, for anyone who believes investment in space is a waste of money and has no impact of things here on Earth:

Technology - There have been countless technologies and products that NASA and the Apollo missions have given us (See here for details), some of the main ones include water purification systems (benefiting people all over the world who need affordable, clean water), Memory Foam, Enriched baby food, Portable cordless vacuums, Freeze dried foods, Enhanced Solar Energy Cells, Firefighting equipment, Aircraft anti-icing systems, and around 1650 other spin-off products in the fields of computer technology, environment and agriculture, health and medicine, public safety, transportation, recreation, and industrial productivity. And that's just NASA alone, if you take into account the other products you get from space, you have GPS on your phone and in your car, Google Maps, Satellite Television, Satellite Phone and Internet Access almost anywhere in the world, and Weather and Climate Satellites providing essential warning in numerous disaster events. If everyone decided to fund projects here on Earth over attempting to explore space, none of these products would even be possible, and there are still endless possibilities for the future.

Economic Gain - It has been estimated that for every $1 the U.S. Government invests in space development, it returns $7 in economic activity. Yet since 1994 NASA has received less than 1% of the federal budget. In 2010, it was $18.7 billion out of the $3.55 trillion budget. Even though increasing any government spending in any area is not ideal, and while in the long run it is hoped that the private sector will fund the vast majority of space activity, in the short run the government could substantially speed up the process by embarking on challenging ventures such as a mission to Mars, as these create the most technological spin-offs (like the ones stated above) for the private sector (Investing in cheaper alternatives to rockets for getting into orbit such as a Space Elevator, is another project which would significantly boost private investment in space). It's this sort of investment in technology to overcome the challanges of space which can create new markets, new businesses, new products and new highly skilled jobs for the struggling U.S. and Western economies in both the short and the long run. Imagine what could have been achieved if even just a fraction of the trilions of dollars spent on bailouts, wars and stimulus packages was spent on kickstarting a thriving space industry, we could have multiple colonies on the Moon and on Mars, along with new affordable ways of transporting the average person into space or mining asteroids for a profit, all of which would provide massive economic opportunities.

Political Leadership - In 1969 America put a man on the moon to show their superiority over the Soviets, and in doing so proved that they could do anything they wanted to, if they chose to do so. In 2010, U.S. dominance is starting to be questioned. With an almost stagnant economy, spiralling debt, 2 drawn out wars, and the continued rise of China, the United States is at a crucial point in its history. If things continue as they are, they will almost certainly lose the number 1 spot. The only alternative is to re-energise the American Way, and put their faith back into technology, innovation, and progress, and do the things that no other nation is willing to do. Putting a human colony on Mars would once again show the world that the United States is still by far the most capable and powerful nation, and it would do so in a way that no show of military force ever could. Space is the next frontier for humanity, and the first nation which understands this and invests significant resources in it is going to end up being the leading global power for many years to come.

Human Nature - The only reason we live in such a modern and advanced society is because of our desire to expand, explore and progress. If it wasn't for our desire to discover new lands, or discover new things, we would all still be living in caves in Africa. What seperates us from all other species' is our quest for knowledge and to develop technology to improve our lives. We know very little about the Universe that surrounds us, and until we step up and start exploring it, we aren't fulfilling one of the core principles of what it means to be human. Having other humans living on another planet would surely be the greatest thing we have ever achieved.

Kennedy Speech Clip - 1962

Survivability - Until we have a self-sustainable colony on another planet, our species, and everything we have achieved is always going to be at risk of going extinct. While it is hopefully very unlikely, we are now at a stage where we can kill ourselves off with relative ease, whether it be through nuclear war, or accidentally creating a virus or some form of technology which wants to get rid of us. Not to mention the natural disasters that are always a threat, although unlike the dinosaurs if we invest if space we should hopefully be able to stop an asteroid. There will always be problems here on Earth, sadly that's reality, so if we were to stop investing in space until all of our problems are solved, we will go extinct.

So, to sum up, a Mars To Stay mission would affect YOU if your government decides to do it:
-You will get new products and inventions.
-It will create jobs and provide business opportunities.
-Your nation will be looked up to from around the world.
-You will be part of the greatest human achievement in the history of our species.
-You can be sure that everything we have worked for as a civilization will never be lost.

For anyone who still isn't convinced that it's worth the money, we would really like to hear of another
government program that comes close to achieving anything like this? Maybe $164 billion a year on
debt interest is a better use of public money..