The National Air and Space Museum’s M.H. Bulmer says “there is still a very real need for human exploration” of Mars. Humans “are more adaptable and capable” than any Sojourner-style rover. But such a mission could cost upwards of 20 billion U.S. dollars, compared with Pathfinder’s pittance: 265 million U.S. dollars.

Price isn’t the only problem. The round-trip would likely take years and could exact a terrible toll on the human body. So are remote-control rovers a substitute for good old-fashioned brains and brawn? Is a manned mission a budgetary black hole or a scientific necessity?

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