[Atlas Sneezed]

How about the government offers a $10 billion prize for the first Mars rocks returned to earth?

Let private industry handle the rest, with low cost leases of NASA facilities.

[JoeSixPack1]

How about the govenrment ALLOWING the private sector to sell Mars rocks for "whatever the market will bear"?

Research and development completed by NASA is mostly unclassified and readily available to contractors if they want to step in and privatize space exploration. But fear of global dominance through orbital munitions has prevented our FEDs from allowing this. A;so recouping our tax fortunes spent on space exploration by patents created out of R&D would and could relieve tax budgeting problems. But once again, the FED is in control. Profitizing or zero cost necessity is unheard of.

There are better ways to fund this stuff without NASA or OSHA loosing control.

[Cincinatus]

How about the government offers a $10 billion prize for the first Mars rocks returned to earth?

In that case, award your money to an Egyptian dog, who was hit by the meteorite Nahkla in 1911 (and killed by it) -- that's the first documented fall of a rock from Mars.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

...Red MARS Rocks 4-Sale = Great Idea...