what could a person do on mars that a robot hasn't already done?
besides make footprints and stick a flag in the ground...

I think Total Recall warned us all against trying to colonize mars anyways.

There's been six supposed different trips to the moon where people have gone on them, granted the last one was in 72 but I think back then if it was just as easy to make it to Mars they would've been sending people there after the first landing instead.

of course we put a man on the moon all the arguments that the conspiracy nut-jobs say can be scientifically disproved
Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy: Bad TV

The point I'm making is and I may be wrong, but if my memory serves me well, then no human being can survive for very long once they pass the Van Allen belts.
The argument is (according to sceptics) that no human has been that far out in space. If they had...they'd be dead.

Yeah the Van Allen belt is full of deadly radiation and if you pass through it, you well, die. Supposedly the Apollo engineers knew of the radiation and prepared the space ship so it would be protected from them and planned to fly the ship through the thinnest parts of the belts and fly through them quickly.

So is space.

I'm not even very sure what happened or if it did or not because it's never been something I've been too interested in. I'm just stating what they taught us in school to you.

I'm no expert either and I won't be rushing to wikipedia to find the "facts".
I recall someone questioned the use of cameras on the moon and the person pointed out that the radiation from an airport screening thingy (a minimal amount by comparison) can wipe the film in the camera clean.
When it was put to NASA, they responded (apparently, can't back this up) that they wrapped the camera in tin foil! :laughing:
If that's true, then someone is taking the piss.

Its a pretty crazy case. Cause there is evidence showing that it was a fake. The flag was flapping as if in the wind..and as we know..there is no air in the atmosphere on the moon. And the Cold War was just a constant battle of saying..Im better now...No, im better now and such. The Cold War in retrospect is actually pretty funny.