Budgetary pressures on science including planetary exploration
are enormous. Mars is one of the primary goals of planetary
exploration due to its closeness and many similarities to Earth.
In fact, Mars is the only other planet in our Solar System where
a future presence of humans can be considered. The Mars Science
Laboratory is currently on its way to Mars, but beyond the
landing of the rover Curiosity, future Mars exploration seems to
be uncertain. Yet, we should take pride that NASA has the best
record of any space agency and the most sophisticated technology
to land probes and rovers on Mars successfully. Many of us feel
it would be a grave mistake to retreat from planetary
exploration, particularly Mars exploration. Mars is also the
only planetary body in our Solar System, where we could find
life in the near future -- a theme and objective, which
resonates well with the public. However, as laudable this goal
is, we still have to be aware of achieving maximum return with
minimum resources and conduct spa