First of all, why would we want to go to mars in the first place? I don't think we should spend 11 billion dollars to go somewhere more boring than the outback. Heck, the outback at least has some life. Of course I heard that there could be life on Mars, life that can only be seen by a microscope. But then I also here NASA just wants to find out if there ever was life on Mars. NASA is a solid institution of wasting money. NASA spent 3 billion dollars on the satalittes that took pictures of Saturn's rings. They concluded that they were made of ice and....this is the term used.....dust. 3 billion dollars for something I can find in my back yard.