"John Cody" wrote in message
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UPI Exclusive: Bush OKs new moon missions
By Frank Sietzen Jr. and Keith L. Cowing
United Press International

The first manned Mars expeditions would attempt to orbit the red
planet in advance of landings -- much as Apollo 8 and 10 orbited the
moon but did not land. The orbital flights would conduct photo
reconnaissance of the Martian surface before sending landing craft,
said sources familiar with the plan's details.

What exactly would be the point of this? Anyone?

A 'true' Mars mission would last up to three years and would therefore
create its own host of problems (logistics). A manned fly-by would already
take more than a year and would be doable within a decade (my guess is that
it WILL be done within a decade).