1. ONWARD TO MARS

It is estimated that the conquest of Mars and the establishment of a colony on the surface of the Red Planet could cost up to $150 billion dollars over 10 years (Day 2004, Zubrin 1996). The benefits of making humans a two-planet species and the technological innovations and revolution a human Mission to Mars would engender, would be unparalleled, with humanity the ultimate beneficiary.

Many in the scientific and corporate community believe a Human Mission to Mars and the establishment of a permanent Mars' base, will be feasible only if led by a public enterprise independent of the U.S. government. As detailed in this proposal, the $150 billion can be raised by "The Human Mission to Mars Corporation," (a hypothetical entity) if given an exclusive mandate and exclusive licensing rights by the U.S. Congress and other participating nations.

Our objective: The Greatest Adventure in the History of Humanity." Our goal: The Conquest of Space. Our battle cry: "Onward to Mars."

Of course, battle cries will not get us to Mars. It will take money. Those funds can be easily raised through advertising and clever marketing, the selling of exclusive broadcast and all media rights, the licensing and selling of Mission to Mars-related merchandise, paid commercial endorsements by astronauts, paid corporate sponsorships (The Human Mission to Mars is sponsored by...), individual sponsorships, the selling of Mars real estate and mineral rights, and the auctioning of naming rights to corporations who will bid against one another to have the Mars Landing Crafts and Mars' Colonies and Base Camps named after their companies (e.g. the Google Mars Express, the Microsoft Mars Lander) with bidding starting at $10 billion dollars.

2. ESTIMATED COSTS

Most estimates envision a Mars' mission with expenditures of less than $25 billion. For example, in 2002, the European Space Agency (ESA) proposed a joint mission with Russia which would cost $20 billion. This was a two spacecraft proposal, one carrying a six-person crew and the other the supplies. The mission would take about 440 days to complete with three astronauts visiting the surface of the planet for two months. Russia originally envisioned a manned Mars mission by 2015 (New Scientist, July, 2002).

In 2007, NASA chief administrator, Michael Griffin suggested a human mission to Mars could cost as little as $11 billion. However, NASA's vague goal would be to put humans on Mars after the year 2035 (AFP Sep 24, 2007). NASA's current five-year budget is around $86 billion and the $11 billion estimate for a Human Mission to the Red Planet may be unrealistic.

Thus, it is possible that a two year round trip journey to Mars could be accomplished with expenditures of around $20 billion whereas a more ambitious mission involving the establishment of a permanent Mars' base would cost considerably more.

According to NASA, a single space shuttle cost around 1.6 billion dollars. Estimates are that the entire space shuttle program, since the program became operational in 1981, has cost $145 billion, with much of those costs having accrued in the first 10 years. Therefore, it could be estimated that a Mission to Mars and the establishment and maintenance of a permanent colony, with space craft journeying to and from the Red Planet, could cost around $145 billion over a 10 year period.

3. RELATIVE COSTS: CONQUEST OF SPACE VS WAR ON EARTH

Other than paying for one of the greatest achievements of all time and the technological revolution that would result, is it worth $145 billion in expenditures, over a 10 year period, to conquer an entire planet and to lay claim to the vast wealth which may lay beneath the surface? To put this into perspective, consider the costs and benefits of the U.S. war against Iraq which commenced in 2003. In 7 years, and as of September 2010, the U.S. has spent nearly 1 trillion dollars on the war in Iraq.

According to an analysis and statistics provided by The Brookings Institution's Iraq Index and the U.S. Congressional Research Service, as of September 2010, the United States has spent and approved the spending of over $900 billion to fight the war in Iraq. Whereas NASA has estimated it could cost $11 billion to fund a human mission to Mars, the U.S. government has lost and cannot account for nearly $10 billion allocated for the Iraq War and has wasted and mismanaged another $10 billion according to Congressional hearings held in February of 2007. In addition, the U.S. government paid KBR, a former subdivision of Halliburton, over $20 billion to supply the U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, and housing which is the same amount the ESA and Russia estimate could pay for a mission to Mars.

The contrasts are stark: $145 billion to conquer an entire planet, vs a trillion dollars to fight a war which many believe was unnecessary and accomplished nothing of substance.

With U.S. Congressional approval, the mandate of The Human Mission to Mars Corporation (THMMC), would raise approximately $150 billion to make the conquest and colonization of Mars a reality by the end of the next decade. How this can be accomplished will now be explained.

4. MARKETING MARS

Advertising increases public awareness and enthusiasm, not just to buy products (Brigs and Stuart 2006), but to attend and watch movies and sporting events (Gerbrandt 2010). To generate public demand for a mission to Mars requires that the message be repeated in a variety of mediums, TV commercial, print ad, radio ad, and online (Brigs and Stuart 2006). Over 30 major corporations spend over $1 billion each year in advertising all of which significantly impacts public awareness and increases sales (Brigs and Stuart 2006). Hollywood movie studios effectively use advertising in a variety of mediums (particularly TV and online) to successfully generate public interest in very short time periods (Gerbrandt 2010). According to Brigs and Stuart (2006), the numbers prove that the "surround-sound" approach is a big winner. They also note it is best to display the product name and logo for the duration of an ad. Likewise, the human mission to Mars must be advertised and marketed as a product and as entertainment, and must use a product name and logo to generate brand identity. Further, the marketing campaign must be targeted and tailored to those who might be the most interested in what a human mission to Mars might offer, i.e. adventure, drama, and life and death competition with clear winners and losers.

World wide, sports is a $185 billion dollar a year industry which generates much of its income from television and radio broadcasting, merchandizing, sponsorships, advertising, online and mobile media, magazines and periodicals, and athlete endorsements (Miller 2009).

The Human Mission to Mars, can be marketed and sold as the ultimate sports and reality TV extravaganza with the conquest of an entire planet as the ultimate prize. Astronauts from around the world, each with their compelling life stories, would compete against one another to be selected for the Mars' teams; Mars' teams would compete against one another to be the first to land on the Red Planet, and all astronauts would be competing against the possibility of death. Astronauts would be marketed for what they are: heroes and athletes in superb physical and mental condition.

Merchandise, from toys to clothing, featuring anything and everything associated with the Human Mission to Mars, can be marketed and sold, including official astronaut jerseys, with the names of favorite astronauts emblazoned on front and back. Then there are product endorsements by the most popular astronauts, with all income going to support and pay for the Human Mission to Mars.

It is important to recognize sex differences in behavior and thinking; a field of study this author pioneered many years ago (Joseph 1979, 1985, 2000, 2001a,b, 2002; Joseph and Gallagher 1980; Joseph et al., 1978 ). From a marketing perspective it is important to target traditional female interests: love, romance, and the prospect of a Martian marriage and the first baby to be born on Mars. Mars' fashions, Mars' styles, magazines and books featuring the lives and loves of the astronauts with all income going to support and pay for the Human Mission to Mars.

5. MARKETING REALITY

What could be more "real" than a Human Mission to Mars, where Astronaut heroes must overcome a grueling, competitive ordeal, with the "survivors" winning the right to face death while taking part in the ultimate adventure of all time? "Reality TV" is the number 1 money maker for broadcast and cable TV (Rose 2009). When the TV show "Survivor" was first aired in 2000, it spawned a revolution in "reality" TV broadcasting, with 51.69 million viewers watching the summer phenomenon's final episode, more than any other program that season (Kissell 2000). "Survivor" knockoffs have since been produced in every major TV market and country throughout the world.

Is the world interested in astronauts? The 1983 Hollywood film, "The Right Stuff" which featured the competitive life-threatening ordeals of the first astronauts, was among the top 12 films, variably ranked 6 to 12, among all feature films released, from October 21, 1983 through March 4, 1984 (BoxOfficeMojo.com).

Then there is the reality of the landing on Mars; the establishment of a Mars' colony; and the ultimate adventure: exploration of the Red Planet. How many might "tune in" world-wide to watch the first humans land on Mars, and what might advertisers, sponsors, merchandisers, and television broadcasters pay for the privilege of association or to broadcast all that transpires?

Lessons learned from the marketing of professional sports may provide the answers.

6. MARKETING AND MERCHANDIZING: LESSONS FROM PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

The following international marketing model, is in part based on the marketing strategy employed by the UEFA Champions League, which has become one of the world’s premier sports competitions with television stations in all continents bidding for television rights (Clegg, 2010; Thompson and Magnus 2003). Specifically, the UEFA Champions League, consists of soccer (football) teams from throughout Europe, and is broadcast to over 200 countries with a worldwide cumulative audience tuning in over 4 billion times per season. The Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United in May of 2009, drew an audience of 109 million, which is three million more than the 2010 Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals (BBC 2010).

The UEFA marketing model has demonstrated that the key to successful income generation begins with successful marketing and a centralized marketing approach directed by a single organization (in this case, The Human Mission to Mars Corporation). The centralized organization must have complete responsibility for negotiating all media rights and for creating "brand" and "name" identity. However, financial success also require the cooperation of three key partners: Television, Merchandizers, and Sponsors (Thompson and Magnus 2003).

6A. Branding: If the Human Mission to Mars begins as an international effort, with astronauts from countries throughout the world vying and competing to become members of the Mars' team, this would guarantee world wide interest and enhance all income possibilities. Astronauts from various countries could be marketed as national heroes and celebrities, who wear uniforms designating their home nations, thus creating national Brand identities and promoting the purchasing of Mission to Mars merchandise world wide.

6B. Rights To Astronauts: Exclusive media rights to all astronauts and their families must be acquired by THMMC such that they can only be interviewed, appear as guests on TV shows, or provide product endorsements with paid THMMC approval. This would include exclusive right to their images and pictures, life stories, family stories

6C. Astronauts as Athletes and Heroes. Astronauts would be accurately marketed as athletes and heroes and would be required to compete against each other, in a variety of Olympic style events, reality TV events, and game-show events, to win a place on one of the Mars teams. Mars teams would also compete against one another to win the right to journey to Mars. These competitions would be aired on TV, as sporting and reality TV events. As astronauts from nations throughout the world would participate initially, this would ensure world wide interest.

6D. Merchanizing and Logo: This would include an official "Logo" featuring the concept of a Human Mission To Mars and a musical anthem to generate excitement, passion and feelings of prestige. The official "Logo" would appear on all products and merchandise so that buyers would know that the merchant was an active supporter, and that part of the proceeds were going to support the Mission to Mars.

According to the Sports Licensing Report (2010), licensing and merchandizing income from Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NHL), and National Basketball League (NBA), exceeds $10 billion a year. Apparel are the most popular merchandise, particularly team jerseys with the names of the most popular stars (e.g. Brett Favre, Vikings; Drew Brees, Saints; Peyton Manning, Colts) emblazoned on the front and back.

Merchandizing The Human Mission to Mars (THMM) requires that astronauts be rightly characterized as heroic and glamorized as stars and celebrities.

Merchandizing would also include THMM-related toys, equipment, vehicles, action figures, posters, magazines, books, comics, video games, puzzles, DVDs, and movie-TV-Book adaptations. Consider for example, "Star Wars" movie merchandise which encompasses everything from lunch pails to bed sheets. Annual income from Star Wars merchandise and video-games is approximately $ 1.5 billion a year (Greenberg, 2007). In total Star Wars merchandise has grossed over $14 billion in retail sales (Greenberg, 2007; Sydell 2007).

If THMMM were paid 25% of the gross sales of merchandise this could come to at least $2.5 billion a year and $10 billion in five years. If THMMM manufactured and distributed as well as sold this merchandise (thus cutting out the "middle men"), the profits could be more than $10 billion a year.

6E. Corporate Sponsors: Each sponsor would receive exclusivity in its product area on TV, with commercial airtime spots and program sponsorship. Laws would also be passed to make it impossible for non-sponsors to associate with the Mars Mission. Further the number of sponsors would be limited domestically and internationally thereby increasing the advertising and prestige value of sponsorship. Sponsor packages would include identification on TV interview backdrops and in the VIP and press areas. This would generate a “multiplying media effect” offering high levels of recognition to the sponsors for which they would pay dearly.

Bidding for sponsorships for the Human Mission to Mars, would begin at $1 billion and could easily range as high as $10 billion per sponsor. General Motors, for example, paid $1 billion to sponsor the U.S. American Olympic team for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing (MSNBC 2010). However, the price of sponsorship varies depending on if one is sponsoring an entire national team, or the Olympics in general. For example, the top 12 official sponsors for the 2008 games paid over $866 million. Sponsorships for the 2012 games in London is expected to gross nearly $3 billion of which over $1 billion will come from companies headquartered in England (Rossingh 2010).

Therefore, world wide, and given that the Human Mission to Mars would generate world wide attention for years, it can be estimated that THMMC could easily raise $10 billion if limited to 10 sponsors paying $1 billion each.

Sponsorships can also be licensed to limited time periods, such as sponsoring the initial Part 1 of the Human Mission to Mars (from inception to entering Mars' orbit), or Part 2 (the landing on the surface of Mars) or Part 3 (exploring the Red Planet). Again, even if limited to 10 sponsors for each Part of the mission, this would come to $30 billion at a minimum. Increase the sponsors to 30 for each Part, and we have $90 billion.

6F. Individual Sponsors: Children, teenagers, and adults, from throughout the world, will want to feel they are part of this effort and they should be made to feel they are not just part, but have contributed. These individuals would influence and recruit their peers, might organize fund raising efforts and clubs, consume Mars merchandize, and watch Human Mission to Mars programming.

Therefore, individual sponsorship will also be offered scaled in terms of age-range and income. For example, children (or their parents) who contribute $10 to $100.00 will receive official certificates naming them "Mars Cadets". Wealthy adults who contribute $100,000.00 (or who raise $100,000 in contributions) would receive an official Plaque naming them a "Mars Pioneer" and would be invited to events featuring and allowing them to meet the astronauts. Those contributing or raising $1 million would be designated "Mars Ranger" and would be given opportunities to attend special events and meet with individual astronauts. If 1,000 wealthy adults from around the world contribute (or raise) at least $1 million that comes to $1 billion. It is estimated that at least $1 billion could be raised from individual sponsors.

6G. Protecting Exclusive Sponsoring and Brand Name Rights: Using the Olympics as a illustrative example, the overall Olympics brand consists of many different elements such as official names, phrases, designs, trademarks, and so on; and the same would be true of the Human Mission to Mars. As is the case with the Olympics (and the NFL, MLB, NBA, etc), these brands would require legal protection to combat "ambush marketing" (Soldner 2010). For example, the Olympic Symbol Protection Act of 1995 provides the legal framework to protect the exclusive rights of official sponsors and to control advertising methods of competitors who seek indirect means of associating their products with the Olympic Games (Soldner 2010).

Therefore, the U.S. Congress, and all other nations who wish to participate in the Human Mission to Mars, would need to pass similar laws. Thus, all merchants and corporations who wish to be associated with the Mars mission must pay for the privilege. These laws would ensure that sponsors pay top dollar for the privilege and that adequate funds will be available to make the Mars endeavor a success.

6H. Naming Rights: Corporations and other entities or persons, would be offered the right to bid for "naming rights" for terms lasting for Part 1, or Part 2, or Part 3 of the Human Mission to Mars. These would include "naming rights" for A) each "Mars Team" of astronauts, B) the Mars Crafts ferrying the astronauts to Mars, C) the Mars landers, D) the Mars base camp, E) Mars Colony, F) Mars Vehicles, G) and so on.

It is estimated that corporations would pay up to 10 billion dollars for "naming rights". Consider, for example, the cost of "naming rights" for basketball, baseball and football stadiums. Staples paid $100 million dollars to rename the L.A. Arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, the "Staples Center." Minute Maid paid $170 million to name a ballpark in Houston, the "Minute Maid Park". Reliant Energy paid over $300 million to rename a football stadium, in Houston. Numerous corporation have done the same for massive exposure in a very limited geographical area. These include Citigroup, Bank of America, Wachovia, Citizens Bank, and so on, with Citigroup paying $400 million to name the New York Met's football stadium "Citi field." "Named" stadiums can be found in Australia, Japan, China, Finland, Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom etc. (Badenhausen 2006).

Since corporations are willing to pay up to $400 million to have their name on a single stadium located in a single city and with limited national and world wide exposure, and on a structure which will quickly become forgotten and insignificant in the annals of history, it can be predicted they would be willing to pay billions for "naming rights" to Mars landing craft or the Mars base camp or colony as their names will go down in history and become famous world wide. Therefore, naming rights will be auctioned to corporations who will bid against one another to have the Mars Landing Crafts , Colonies, Base Camps and vehicles named after their companies (e.g. the Google Mars Express, the Microsoft Mars Lander) with bidding starting at $10 billion dollars. It is estimated that at least $30 billion can be raised through the sale of "naming rights."

6I. Television and Broadcasting: All aspects of training, competition, selection, the journey to and landing and exploration of Mars, would be filmed 24/7, and then sold or licensed to broadcasters, documentary film-makers, and online and print media outlets. THMMC could also work with producers to cut (or direct) this footage to create 30 minute programs in the style of TV shows such as "Survivor", "Dancing with the Stars", "American Idol", as well as game and other reality-type shows.

A single U.S. American realty TV show, American Idol, brings in on average $625000 for a single 30 second ad, earning over 7 million every 30 minutes (Forbes Reports, April 2009). The Human Mission to Mars and the actual landing and exploration of the planet will be the greatest reality show in the history of humanity and it too could be packaged as a 30 minute program aired several times a week with a superbowl like extravaganza planned for the actual landing on the red planet.

Exclusive broadcast rights could also be sold to national broadcasters who would assume responsibility for distribution and advertising. Or conversely, The Human Mission to Mars Corporation (THMMC) could establish The THMMC Channel which would license and distribute live and canned footage to every television broadcaster that provides national territorial coverage. Since the astronauts would initially represent different nations world wide, this would insure world wide interest and a willingness of national broadcasters to give air time to the Mission to Mars.

The UEFA Champions League has the exclusive right to sell all TV rights on an exclusive basis to a single broadcaster per territory for a period lasting several years (Thompson and Magnus 2003). Estimates are that total broadcast income, world wide, is over $2 billion a year (2008/09 UEFA Financial Report). However, these funds to not include income from sponsorships, videos, DVDs, advertising, merchandise, or product endorsements. Further, only a fraction of the billions in annual income are derived from the U.S.A.

In the U.S.A. there is relatively little interest in UEFA Champions League as compared to baseball, basketball, and football. The United States of America is the richest nation on Earth, America will be leading the way to Mars, and America is therefore the number one market for the Human Mission to Mars. Thus, to fully grasp the income potential the U.S. market must be considered separately.

7. USA BROADCAST RIGHTS: LESSONS FROM BASEBALL, BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL

Sports is about conquest: invading and conquering territory and overcoming a determined foe. The Human Mission to Mars would be the greatest adventure in the history of humanity. Mars' astronauts would be competing against death for the greatest prize of all time: The conquest of an entire planet. U.S.A.-based broadcasters would therefore compete and bid against one another to broadcast this great sporting adventure. It is estimated that American broadcasters might pay up to $30 billion dollars for exclusive rights to broadcast this footage. Consider the following:

7A. Baseball: A single sports franchise, the Chicago Cubs earns approximately $42 million a year just for local broadcasting rights sold to Comcast SportsNet Chicago and WGN TV and which comes to $420 Million over 10 years (Peters 2010). In 2003, Fox Sports paid baseball owner Tom Hicks, $550 million in a fifteen year deal, for rights to broadcast the Dallas Stars and Texas Ranger baseball games (Andrews Dallas Star, 2003). Collectively, over 15 professional baseball teams in the U.S. earn $256 Million a year for local broadcast rights, with the New York Yankees Yes TV network grossing over $340 million in 2006 (Jacobson 2008). In addition Major League Baseball Advanced Media earns over $400 million a year by streaming videos of live baseball games (Jacobson 2008). In 2007, DirectTV paid $700 million to Major League Baseball, for a seven year deal which allows subscribers to see up to 80 out-of-market baseball games a year. Collectively Major League Baseball grosses over $1 billion a year in broadcast fees.

7B. Basketball: The National Basketball Association (NBA) earns $930 million a year from broadcasting rights, i.e. approximately 10 billion over 10 years (Cohen 2007; Gradizadio Business Report 2010; Schnietz et al., 2005). In 2010, CBS and Time Warner Cable Network paid the National College Athletic Association $10.8 billion dollars for a 14 year deal giving them the TV, Internet, and wireless rights to air the annual men's basketball tournament held each spring and featuring 68 college basketball teams (Szalai 2010).

7C. Football: Between 2004 and 2006, the National Football League (NFL) received over 20 billion dollars from CBS, NBC, FOX, and ESPN to broadcast games locally and nationally, in deals spanning from 4 to 7 years (Sports Business Daily 2007).

8. BROADCAST RIGHTS TO PART 1, 2, AND 3 OF THE HUMAN MISSION TO MARS

Sports as entertainment grosses over $185 billion dollar a year. Major sports, such as American baseball, basketball and football, gross over $10 billion a year in broadcasting, licensing, merchandizing, and media rights.

A Human Mission to Mars followed by the exploration and colonization of the red planet, would be a multi-year endeavor, and broadcasting and related sponsorship rights could be sold separately for each phase of the endeavor. Part 1: Competition between astronauts, Picking the crews, the launch and the journey to Mars. Part 2: Arriving in orbit and then landing on Mars. Part 3: Exploration and colonization.

What might be the potential income of a multi-hour program featuring Part 2, the landing and first human on Mars? The American Superbowl may provide an answer. According to TNS Media Intelligence 30-second commercials during the 2010 Super Bowl sold for around $2.8 million each, totaling around $62 million every 60 minutes (with 11 commercials every 30 minutes on average). However, whereas 100 million watch the Superbowl, 2 billion might watch humans land on Mars and then emerge from the space craft to wonder the Martian surface over the following days. Part 2, the landing and first wonderings on the surface of the Red Planet, could average out to $10 billion dollars in advertising revenue over 24 hours. Then there are the sales of DVDs of this footage which could be packaged and sold within a few hours delay in real time.

Therefore, using American and world wide sports as a guide, including viewership for world wide premier sporting events such as World Cup, Championship League, and the Super Bowl, coupled with the examples from American reality TV, it could be estimated that broadcasters would pay a minimum of $10 billion for exclusive rights to Part 1, 2 and 3 for a total of $ 30 billion dollars minimum.

9. MINERAL RIGHTS AND MARTIAN REAL ESTATE

Article II of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which was ratified by the United States and 61 other countries explicitly states that "Outer Space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means." This treaty, however, says nothing about personal or corporate claims of private ownership or individual or corporate rights to extract and mine minerals and ores. Nor is the planet Mars explicitly mentioned in the 1967 Treaty.

Although the Space Treaty does not bar private ownership of "celestial bodies", this does not mean that someone can simply say: "I own Mars". Legal precedent requires possession. Consider, for example, maritime salvage law (also known as Admiralty and Maritime Law, and the Law of Salvage), which explicitly states that to claim ownership, the party making the claim must first make contact with and secure the property which must be beyond or outside a nation's national territory (Norris, 1991; Shoenbaum, 1994). In terms of "salvage" the original owner is entitled to a percentage of whatever is recovered. In the case of Mars, there are no original owners (and if there were, they are long dead and gone).

Therefore, although some may argue that the 1967 treaty bars national ownership of Mars, the treaty does not apply to private ownership. This means that those who first arrive on Mars, may claim Mars (or all areas of Mars explored by humans) as private property. They may also sell portions of this property to other private parties or corporations. What might humans of Earth pay to own an inch or acre of Mars?

Traditionally, mineral resources within national territory, belong to the government ruling that territory. Corporations and individuals must license the right to extract and sell those resources. Therefore, if those who first take possession of Mars form a government, they may claim ownership of all mineral and other resources (e.g. minerals, metals, gemstones, ores, salt, water). However, in the early history of the United States, private owners owned both "surface rights" and "mineral rights" and they had the right to sell, lease, or give away these rights.

According to the Mars Mineral Spectoscropy Database of Mount Holyoke College, a wide variety of over 50 minerals may exist on Mars. Gold, silver, platinum, and other precious metals are likely to exist in abundance above and below the Martian surface; spewed out by volcanoes, and produced by ancient hydrothermal activity and circulating goundwater which acted as a concentrater.

Therefore, once humans land on Mars, Martian mineral rights can be sold to the highest bidders, and Martian real estate can be sold by the inch or acre, with all these funds going to support the Human Mission to Mars and the colonization of the Red Planet.

10. CONCLUSIONS: ONWARD TO MARS

A succession of Presidents and NASA administrators have voiced interest in a human mission to Mars. However, they have also proposed vague, fanciful dates so many decades into the future. Even if a serious 20-year or 30-year plan were to emerge, it would have to survive for decades through multiple NASA and U.S. government administrations to ultimately succeed. Success is not just unlikely, but will be too late, as the ESA, China, Russia, Japan, and other nations are already planning on making it to Mars in the next two decades. The United States of America, the American people, and American business will be the big losers.

The Human Mission to Mars must commence now, and it must be an international effort. The conquest of Mars and the establishment of a colony on the surface of the Red Planet could cost 150 billion dollars over 10 years. These funds can be easily raised if the U.S. Congress and other participating nations, grants and enacts legislation to give sole marketing, licensing, and fund-raising authority to an independent corporation (such as the hypothetical Human Mission to Mars Corporation) which initiates and supervises the marketing, merchandizing, sponsorship, broadcasting, and licensing initiatives detailed in this article. The United States Congress and all participating nations must also enact legislation and pass laws to protect these fund-raising efforts and those who sponsor, donate to, and partner with THMMC to make a Human Mission to Mars a reality.

The sole mission of The Human Mission to Mars Corporation should be to raise $150 billion to fund a Human Mission to Mars and the colonization of the Red Planet, and this can be accomplished by initiating and following the detailed plans discussed in this article.

It is estimated that $10 billion a year can be raised through clever advertising and marketing and the sale of merchandise. Following a massive advertising campaign which increases public interest, between $30 billion to $90 billion can be raised through corporate sponsorships, and an additional $1 billion a year through individual sponsorships. The sale of naming rights would yield an estimated $30 billion. Television broadcasting rights would bring in an estimated $30 billion. This comes to a total of between $100 billion to $160 billion, and does not include other commercial ventures and the sale of real estate and mineral rights.

NASA can't do it. The United States government can't do it. An International effort can.

Our battle cry: "Onward to Mars."