implement the Mars Direct plan described by Zubrin et al, with minor modifications for specific problems only.

The Mars Direct plan is feasible with current technology, lift capabilities, and budget. It calls for a series of smaller spacecraft to be launched and landed on Mars over a period of several years, and for propellant for the return to Earth to be manufactured in situ, as has been done on Earth for decades. The cost is at most 50 billion dollars (more likely 20-30 billion), which even with the budget deficit could be raised through international cooperation (as this is about 1/2000 of the gross world product). With this plan, humans could be landed on Mars, and facilities put in place for permanent settlement when resources and technology permit, within a decade. I call on our government to implement this plan, which would greatly benefit science, innovation, and international cooperation.