I am not sure what "final draft report on the Mars exploration program" the author of this article is referring to, but it appears that NASA is adopting Robert Zubrin's (The Mars Society) "Mars Direct" program for use in a mission to Mars. Launch date? 2030. Let's hope it is sooner than that!
Robert Zubrin, one of the driving forces behind the Mars Direct plan and president of the Mars Society has some good things and bad things to say about NASA's plans to return to exploration:
The previous NASA plans were pure nonsense. This one is real engineering. Finally, we have a plan that could actually work.
Following up on their first collection (On to Mars), Apogee Books has published a second collection of essays and papers presented at the annual meeting of The Mars Society.
Leonard David (of Space.com) writes about the 8th International Mars Society Convention in this article. One gets the ever stronger feeling that we're at a crucial point for manned exploration of space in the United States. Will NASA be able to move out of low Earth orbit?
Tom Hill (at The Space Review) visits The Mars Society's annual conference. Presentations by NASA, a preview of the film The Mars Underground, and more.