Cooperation needed for Mars

A conference of 50 astronauts, public interest advocates, aerospace industry executives and scientists meeting at Stanford University have urged the US government to consider greater co-operation with space faring nations if the goal of sending humans to Mars is to be achieved by the early 2030's. According to figures released by the conference, the US is about 3 billion dollars a year short of the needed funds to achieve its aims. Plans to return first to the Moon were also criticised as a distraction from the greater goal of sending humans to Mars.