In today’s science driven society, humans are constantly pushing the boundaries of what we all believe is possible. Many believe that in the distant future, Mars may in fact be one of the most realistic planets for the human population to exist outside of earth. Due to the increase in emissions expended and the reality of global warming, it is hard not to consider Mars as a planet of this caliber. Regardless of why we decide to send humans to Mars, it is something which we need to do in order to push the boundaries of human exploration and discovery. In a world where we are as technologically advanced as we are, it would only be a good thing to venture further into our solar system.

When considering the potential ramifications of our journey to Mars, it is easy to look at the cost as one of the largest detriments. NASA ,(National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the United States space exploration and investigation branch, is given a rather large portion of money, most of which could be spent elsewhere, at least some Americans think. However, while other government organizations are spending their federal funding attempting to improve our immediate lives, organizations such as NASA are focused on the future.If no human were to ever attempt to push the boundaries, where would we be as a society? If no single person had pushed for the discovery and modern day implementation of electricity, would we even have sustainable sources of light other than gas and candles? If Henry Ford had not made the car a viable option for all of America, would we be close to as connected as we are now? The same can be said for the invention of the iPhone, the PC, Facebook, television, etc. These inventions were not seen as possibilities until they were made a reality.

To not attempt to explore Mars would be detrimental to all of humanity. The the ideas and drive which have taken centuries to instill would be diminished. While the actual act of settling on a planet is incredibly far-fetched, if we have the ability to send people there, and a reasonably safe way to do so, there is little reason for us not to. Considering the money which NASA receives in comparison to other organizations, there is very little reason to think it is financially inadvisable to pursue traveling to Mars. This does not take into account the private organizations which are attempting to have people physically settle on Mars. Mars One, a private non-profit organization, is scheduled to perform their first unmanned mission to mars, which will take place as soon as 2020 (http://www.mars-one.com/). Thereafter, they plan on sending their first group of people in 2026, and another group every 26 months. While we are still seemingly far away from being able to have a feasible settlement on another planet, the fact that a privately funded organization (who must get their money from somewhere) has investors who are confident enough in their abilities to invest incredible amounts of money into their cause, proves that we as humans are much closer to achieving this goal than many may perceive.

Although the argument can be made for financial restrictions on a government level against the traveling to Mars, with many private funders and organizations who share a similar, realistic goal, there is no reason to oppose a potentially groundbreaking expedition. And who knows, if everything goes as planned, our grandkids may be Skyping us from Mars one day.