NASA (which takes in some $20 billion annually) is the biggest propaganda scam of the 20th century. Notice how this Mars trip was planned on the heels of the explosion of the last shuttle. What value is there in space exploration? And make no mistake about it: most space trips are for classified military (and National Security Agency) purposes, and not for the announced purposes (as in, we want to see if a monkey can eat beef in zero gravity; or can we plant black beans in space?). And the only reason humans are sent into space is pure propaganda and to please the public, and keep the billions coming.