From: chernyshevsky@hotmail.com   
      
   Bar the development of some revolutionary technology, is it realistic to   
   think that we can land on Mars and come back?   
      
   Say we want to bring a piece of Martian rock back to Earth. A lander   
   carrying a rover and an ascent module would land on the planet. The rover   
   would move about, pick up a rock, and bring it back to the ascent module.   
   The module is then launched back into space to rendezvous with a return   
   vehicle.   
      
   It seems to me that the size of lander would be prohibitively large, as the   
   ascent module would need to carry enough fuel to enter into Martian orbit.   
   Compared to the Moon's, Mars' gravity is much stronger. Mars also has an   
   atmosphere, which means thermo-shieldings on both the lander and the ascent   
   module.   
      
   The return vehicle would be fairly large too, as it needs to carry fuel for   
   returning to Earth. In addition, it would carry the reentry module and   
   equipment for monitoring the Martian atmosphere. Even if we use two   
   launches, the rockets used to carry them into space would be gargantuan.   
      
   Perhaps our current approach to Mars exploration is the only way for the   
   foreseeable future?   
      
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