An artist's conception dating back to the 1990s shows a space
vehicle powered by an electric propulsion drive approaching
Mars. Electric propulsion is still the preferred technology for
getting to the Red Planet. Now that the International Space
Station is complete, NASA is touting it as a test bed for future
voyages to Mars. But when will those voyages start? Would you
believe Oct. 9, 2033? That's one of the best dates available for
launching a Mars mission, according to Ben Donahue, space
exploration engineer at Boeing Advanced Systems. At this week's
International Space Station and Mars Conference, presented in
Washington by Explore Mars, Donahue explained that the
alignments of Earth and Mars make 2033 an "easy year" for
interplanetary navigation. And after all, President Barack Obama
did call for a mission to the environs of the Red Planet by the
mid-2030s. But in reality, the prospects for a Mars mission
depend less on the celestial almanac and more on national
priorities. If getting humans to Mars some