s long as I can recall, I've always been fascinated with time, space and the night sky.  I remember when I was ten years old I wrote my first space adventure, and for a science fair, I built a small planetarium.  I might have won if my sun hadn't burnout halfway through the show.  But irregardless, I wasn't discouraged and continued to be marveled by the night sky, and to this day, I am captivated by its wonder and beauty.
     As I grew older and studied the stars, I learned about the constellations and about some of the mysteries of space, but more importantly, I learned how space is like a looking glass to the past.  The night sky is like a time machine, that allows us to be witnesses to what happened millions of years ago.  And I think most people still hold their childhood dreams of adventuring into space and learning our and our universe's origins.
     And so, it is easy for me to answer the question to explore and colonize Mars.  To me, we should explore and colonize Mars, but not because we might find something similar to what I wrote in the sidebar, but because I feel we as humans beings are compelled to explore and colonize beyond our present realm of security.  I think it's in our nature to venture out and explore the unknown.
     So, knowing it is only a matter of time before we start sending manned missions to Mars, we must first prepare for such ventures and determine the dangers and limit the risks.  We must construct spacecraft that can take our astronauts to Mars and returned them back to Earth safely.
     However, according to NASA, before we can consider manned voyages to Mars four objectives must be met.  First, the international space station must be completed and operational.  Second, we must be able to work with other nations in a cooperated effort in space.  Third, we must develop an "affordable mission scenario" within one decade.  And lastly, we must allow "the world economy to improve substantially." (NASA 1)
     With these objectives in mind, NASA plans to construct and operate the international space station during the first decade of this century, while during the second, NASA hopes to start sending manned missions to the surface of Mars.
     Long before NASA could send manned missions to the surface of the moon, it had to conduct numerous unmanned and manned missions to ensure such a venture was possible and safe.  Some of these unmanned missions were intentionally crashed into the surface of the moon.
     In the end, the final price tag for the Gemini missions was $1.29 billion (NASA 2), while the Apollo missions cost American tax payers $24 billion. (Jones)  And, of course, again the American tax payer will bear the heavy burden to pay for similar missions long before NASA can send manned missions to Mars.  Current estimates for such an endeavor is put at $450 billion.

     I suppose such a large price tag does beg the question, "Is it worth spending that much money on expeditions to Mars, when it could be better spent here on Earth?"  For instance, this money could be better spent to supplement low income family wages.  Or maybe it could be used to fight starvation and homelessness in our country and around the world.  Or maybe this money could be better used to find cures for incurable diseases.  Although humankind could benefit from this money if it were used for such efforts as I mentioned, as well as, those I did not mention, we have benefited from past Space Programs in many ways "by expanding the realm of human knowledge through a systemic program of exploration and discovery." (NASA 1)  Benefits that no other technology could have offered, and future Space Programs promise additional benefits to the human race, either directly or indirectly.  
     For example, the computer I am using to create this paper would not be available, or for that matter, affordable if it had not been for our Space Programs.  According to NASA's Website, other benefits gained from the Space Programs include:

• Virtually every aircraft in use today utilizes technology pioneered by NASA. Aeronautics is one of the Nation's strongest industries, employing almost one million Americans.

• The U.S. aerospace industry generates over $40 billion in annual exports and almost $30 billion in positive balance of trade each year.

• New industries have been built on the technology that made space exploration possible, including personal computers, advanced medical equipment, communications satellites, weather forecasting and natural resource mapping.

• NASA's high-technology research and development provide a return on investment by generating jobs, the demand for goods and services, and new opportunities as advanced technologies spin off into the private sector. (NASA 1)