“Why We Should Go to Mars”

In the article “Why we should go to Mars,” Kim Stanley Robinson shares his best thoughts on how the human exploration of Mars can benefit mankind’s well-being and understanding of Earth, as well as create opportunities for the advancement of human discoveries. In an effort to further educate and increase our awareness of Earth, Robinson stresses the importance of studying the planetary histories of Mars as well as Earth because of their similarity in origins. Recognizing the possible chances of life existence on Mars, Robinson states that if humans explored for life on Mars and were successful, it would be one of the greatest discoveries ever. Although many may feel that we should utilize robots to search for existence on Mars, however, Robinson argues that humans are a lot more effective for field research than robots. According to Robinson, “A single human expedition would teach us more than a century of robotic landings” (48). In addition, Robinson believes that it would be an inspirational story to the world to see mankind explore beyond Earth in an effort to attain knowledge rather than profits. In support of his case, Robinson also shares that the cost of traveling to Mars was reduced by almost one-tenth due to recent advancements in the engineering industry, making it more affordable than ever before. In conclusion, he finishes by saying that there is no reason why we should resist from expanding our expeditions into Mars if we are fully capable of advancing the discoveries of mankind in our time. For hundreds of years, humans have debated over the topic of travelling to Mars. Although Robinson states several strong reasons that support the idea of an expedition to Mars, the risks and costs of exploring Mars greatly outweighs the benefits of a successful trip. The first point that Robinson states is that we should explore Mars in an effort to better understand Earth due to similar origins the two planets share. As much as I agree with the importance of