Rationale for Mars Exploration

Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, has already been explored quite extensively. There have been seven missions to Mars since 1964. There are many incentives for humans to continue to explore Mars. The purpose of this paper is to provide a rationale for Mars exploration. Benefits of Mars exploration include development of new technologies, mining resources on Mars, improved understanding of the history and processes of earth, possible human colonization, international cooperation, and above all, the challenge of exploration. The main factors inhibiting exploration of Mars include the great monetary cost, danger to the explorers, and distraction from Earth's problems. However, comparing the cost of Mars exploration with other expenditures such as the costs of maintaining a modern military may make Mars exploration appear more realistic. Upon analysis, the benefits of Mars exploration appear to greatly outweigh the costs.