From: quibbler247@yahoo.com   
      
   In article ,   
   no@nomorespamplease.com.retro.com says...   
   > According to BBC Online:-   
   >   
   > President George W Bush will announce proposals next week to send Americans   
   > to Mars   
   >   
   > but . . .   
   >   
   > unless and until we have robotically established conclusively that there is   
   > or is not life on Mars, we can't put humans on the planet because they will   
   > inevitably bio-contaminate it.   
      
   Perhaps with some extremophilic organism.  However, it would be very hard   
   for many organisms to survive the extreme cold, severe radiation, etc.   
   It may be possible, but I doubt that life will exactly flourish there.   
   We aren't even sure that there would be the necessary organic substances   
   to support simple living organisms.   
      
      
   >   
   > Anyone agree?   
      
   I agree that there are a variety of reasons that we are not ready to go   
   to mars yet, except maybe on Zubrin's plan.  Space exploration should not   
   be a stunt.  Oh and NASA doesn't need a moron like Bush telling them how   
   to do their jobs either.   
      
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         Quibbler (quibbler247atyahoo.com)   
   "It is fashionable to wax apocalyptic about the   
   threat to humanity posed by the AIDS virus, 'mad cow'   
   disease, and many others, but I think a case can be   
   made that faith is one of the world's great evils,   
   comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to   
   eradicate."  -- Richard Dawkins   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)