NASA is trying to wring out more money for its haggard space station, the shuttle fleet is aging and even the image of the visionary young president who aimed America at the moon has faded. But that doesn’t keep Robert Zubrin from lobbying for a manned Mars mission. Instead of seeking out Capitol Hill for billions of dollars and a mandate, the aerospace engineer and founder of the Mars Society takes his plans to individuals around the world in an attempt to build political support. “We need to go to Mars not to beat a foreign power, we need to go to Mars for the true reason to go to Mars, and that is to open up a new planet,” Zubrin said, standing inside an experimental module the organization built to simulate space exploration. The can-shaped refuge is on display through this weekend at Kennedy Space Center’s Visitor Complex.