[marcofloriano]

Right!? Like, i have tons of respect for the guy, but the amount of press and attention that they get just by saying "we are going to mars" are crazy! Nothing practical to show, i would be more interested in a mission to build up a base at moon first.

But hey! This is show business, what we losers can possible know!?

[ranman]

"Nothing practical to show" ... I think you may be misinformed. There are a great deal of practical advancements (raptor engine, carbon fiber tanks, software and sensor suites that enable autonomous landing). There's tons of room for discussion around the mars architecture but to discount it because there's "nothing practical to show" is incorrect.

If you're not an expert in the field it might be worth it to do some research before immediately discounting an idea.