No Humans to Mars

35 Years After Apollo, NASA Seeks Return to Moon

"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration would get $229 million less than it did in 2004 and $1.1 billion less than President Bush requested, if a spending bill approved by a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee becomes law."

I think NASA can be safely dismissed as a contender for a manned Mars mission. At this rate, a return to the Moon -- a feat accomplished repeatedly 35 years ago -- appears almost impossibly exotic. How very sad.