I was reading the BA's blog, specifically the article entitled
Mars, Congress, and what we're doing when, and I came across the following
Quote:
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Originally Posted by The BA
I think we should go to Mars eventually, but it’s a dream to think we can have the tech know-how in less than 20 years.
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So I got to wondering. What are these technical difficulties, exactly? What makes a Mars mission so much (fifty years' worth of research) harder than a Moon mission, or even maintaining a space station? Is it primarily life support issues, or are there additional concerns involving landing, the condition of a craft in space that long, or fuel?
Where there is a problem, what's the state of the art right now, and where does it need to be to make such a mission feasible?