Facetious answer: it’s never gonna happen
Serious answer: Chuck Norris
Yes, it’s the fact that you voiced your opinion, and not the fact that you just called all religious people stupid, therefore calling the OP stupid.
Suppose that a Manned Mars expedition is launched, with great fanfare.
Three months into the trip, the oxygen system breaks down-and repairs are impossible. The whole world now is viewing the impending death of the crew, on live TV.
It might pt people off.
Other.
Probably a wealthy entrepreneur, or a partnership among a few uber wealthy entrepreneurs and multinational teams/governments. It would be a good idea to commercialize the whole thing with lots of advertising, product placement and reality show 24/7 TV coverage.
At least one of the entrepreneurs will be American, so once the project starts looking like a real possibility, whoever is US president at the time will shove some money into it and get the flag in there someplace.
Someone asked what would happen if something went wrong and we got to watch doomed astronauts complete a suicide mission or something. Answer: highest television ratings ever.
We need a new flavor of Tang.
Yes, this is why I voted other too. Business will get there before government does.
I voted Other.
“Other” being Jamaica, of course.
Other. You have to define ‘land on Mars’. If this happens in the near future, some humans will die on Mars, maybe at impact, maybe later when they can’t get back off, assuming they make it that far. The country that lands humans on Mars and returns them to Earth alive may not exist yet.
I don’t think the funding for the technology will be there for 30-50 years. The technology is there(says NASA) but we’re a long way off. It will probably be a multinational effort. Our children’s grandchildren?
Indeed, being the first human to step foot on Mars would be an excellent way of getting plenty of Tang.