The CEO for UP Aerospace, Inc
has suggested that a one-way manned
mission to Mars can be accomplished on a
"shoestring budget [not his exact words]"
by using two of the soon-to-be retired
space-shuttles.
[Yep! Two of the NASA shuttles!]

He suggests that linking the two shuttles
together with a very-long tether would allow
the lower-slung shuttle and crew to be swung
down safely onto the surface of Mars
for [I gather] a permanent stay.
[Is this guy joking?]

...Hmmm....I will be charitable and assume
that he plans to pack enough provisions
onboard the shuttles, plus fitting solar-panels on them
for power, to make such a...plan....less outlandish.

How he plans to propel the linked shuttles from LEO to
Hoffman-Transfer velocity to the Red Planet escapes me.
I suppose he plans for Russia to build a few new ENERGIA
HLV's for his planned project.

A one-way trip to Mars for astronauts, huh?
Is this UP Aerospace CEO thinking of a budget-mission to Mars?
Or a suicide mission?
If I was a shareholder in his company, I would ask the other
executive board members to send for "the men in the white coats".

The story can be found at SPACE.COM.