I don't think the answer is to make a Mars mission more political, but to put it more in the hands of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk. If you make it largely a pr

I don't think the answer is to make a Mars mission more political, but to put it more in the hands of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk. If you make it largely a private exercise, you could have more countries involved while avoiding some or most of the political overhead (eg Chinese engineers as opposed to the Chinese national space program). Also, if the cost (and the perceived cost) could be lowered, I don't think there would be much popular resistance. I agree with Buzz that we should germinate Mars as a genetic failsafe. I'm sure there are many possible planet-killing events whose effects would pass in time (giant asteroid for one) allowing the Earth to be repopulated.