The idea, to say the least, was provocative. Back in March Nancy Atkinson wrote a piece for Universe Today about a retired NASA engineer named Jim McLane, who suggested a way to jump-start human settlement of Mars: go before we’re sure how to get back. “When we eliminate the need to launch off Mars, we remove the mission’s most daunting obstacle,” McLane told her. He said it would not be a suicide mission, but that risks are necessary when you do great things. “I don’t think there would be any shortage of people willing to volunteer for the mission. Lindbergh was someone who was willing to risk everything because it was worth it. I don’t think it will be hard to find another Lindbergh to go to Mars.”