Funding

Funding for scientific space exploration often is met with resistance by politicians and the general public. In a parallel example, the development and building of the International Station has been shared among several spacefaring nations with great success. A mission to Mars offers the opportunity for the development of new industries and new jobs to the benefit of all.

There is an enormous cost associated with space exploration. Traditionally, government-funded agencies such as NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have used monies obtained through tax dollars to pay for the expense of space. In many cases, such as the Department of Defense Global Positioning System, commonly known as GPS or SatNav, there are benefits that can be derived by the everyday man. Weather services are reliant on meteorological photo tracking of weather fronts and storms. The Apollo Program was funded using public funds, with the impetus of the Cold War driving the effort.

New funding sources may be needed to finance the herculean effort of a mission to Mars. Cost estimates for a Mars effort range from a paltry $6 billion to an enor­mous estimate of $500 billion.

An innovative and precedent making approach may need to be explored. In 2009, a science fiction television show called Defying Gravity offered a commercial solution to raising funds. In an episode called “Fear”, an in-space promotional event using the astronauts was scheduled, with the proceeds funding experiments conducted during the mission. Selling advertising space, naming rights, and com­mercials is an unexplored avenue for paying the expenses of space exploration, such as a Mars mission. Just imagine if this had been done during the Apollo era. The Saturn V could have been launched displaying the name brand of a leading soda, with the astronauts eating and endorsing freeze dried foods on camera during broadcasts to American television networks. General Motors, the developer of the lunar rover, could have taken better advantage of their participation in the Apollo program. One wonders if funding had been obtained in this fashion, would Apollo 18 have been a lunar landing instead of an orbiting handshake?