Nope. The only way that humans will get into space and stay there is to go to Mars without any chance of return. Otherwise politics and human nature will just repeat the Apollo experiment. Buzz A was emphatic on this point. You have to design the system, right from the start, to have no Mars return option. In which case, Earth will have no choice but to support the mission and work their damndest to make it self sufficient, since choosing continued supply is much more expensive.

Nope. The only way that humans will get into space and stay there is to go to Mars without any chance of return. Otherwise politics and human nature will just repeat the Apollo experiment. Buzz A was emphatic on this point. You have to design the system, right from the start, to have no Mars return option. In which case, Earth will have no choice but to support the mission and work their damndest to make it self sufficient, since choosing continued supply is much more expensive.

Long time lurker on Slashdot and while many times I've fretted and wondered about posting something, it's never risen above the threshold. For Mars2020 though, I'm "rocketing" through that barrier. I spent half of last year in a room with four other great scientists writing one of the proposals and then sweating out another six months waiting to hear yesterday that we won. I am not the Principal or Deputy PI for this instrument, but I have been for ISS instruments. To be a part of a planetary mission is incredibly special.

I am a 21 year employee at JPL. I can say that the scientists, engineers, technicians, and managers who have discussed MOXIE with me this past year have never voiced anything negative. JPL has a highly entrepreneurial workforce. Almost 90% of the scientists work on competitively awarded proposals. If you don't win you don't have a job ... it's that simple. There are significant technologies within MOXIE that these scientists have worked their entire careers to get into spaceflight. Have some respect. Sheesh! Wipe the water off from behind your ears little one.