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willpittenger
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I have heard of many plans that have us just sending a small crew to Mars. Some science fiction movies and TV episodes used a capsule the size of Apollo. If all we do is go to Mars and collect a few rocks, we may not go back for centuries. We did that with Apollo and we are just talking about going back now. Even with President Bush's proposed plan to return to the moon, our first mission must be to begin setup of a base camp. Then -- and only then -- do we talk about science.<br /><br />With Mars, we must make the first trip capable of staying until the second group of astronauts/cosmonauts arrives. Even then, two or three of the first group should stay on until the third group arrives to provide experience and leadership. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>