I was looking at the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 for NASA and saw this:

That none of the funds under this heading shall be used for any research, development, or demonstration activities related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-...d=f:39564b.pdf

The information for NASA starts on page 39 and spells out their appropriations pretty clearly. I guess I thought that NASA was doing some amount of research to get to Mars. I guess I was wrong.

NASA has done, and is doing, all kinds of research which would be directly applicable to manned missions to Mars. What NASA is not doing, because they don't have the money for it, is the necessary point-to-point-type research to get us to Mars. IOW, they're designing the Orion CEV to be capable of going to Mars, but they're not planning on sending it to Mars, because they don't have the necessary budget to undertake such a thing.

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We want our children to go to the planets. Burt Rutan 6/21/04 K.I.L.L. S.M.U.R.F.S.
Tuckers! Automotive Oddities! Building my hot rod with the help of the intarwebs Those who would delay scientific progress for a little temporary prosperity shall have neither. MachineCast Save the planet, by leaving it! "To be second in space is to be second in everything," LBJ.

See this previous, September 2007, discussion, topic House of Representatives banning exploration of Mars.

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Man you are good! I need to do a more accurate search.