freedom isn't free -- as we have all read, there is sometimes a hefty fuckin' fee

this article about economic alternatives to the iraq war reminded me of a previous post here on TIA. (note that the costs described in the article are only relevant to the iraq war, and do not include the other war in afghanistan, though there might be some shared expenses which aren't detailed.)

an excerpt from the article:

NASA have plans for a manned Mars expedition based on the Ares spacecraft they're developing as a replacement for the Space Shuttle. Price estimates vary from $20Bn (presumably for a single round-trip) to $450Bn (presumably for a single round trip plus all the externalities, like developing the spacecraft and equipment and conducting a thorough prior reconnaissance using unmanned landers).

Either way, the direct costs of the Iraq war exceed the maximum cost estimate for a manned Mars expedition, infrastructure and all, by 20%. If we take $20Bn as the cost per mission and $450Bn as the cost to develop the technology to go there, the direct cost of the Iraq war would be sufficient to develop a gold-plated Mars expeditionary capability and send six crews of astronauts to Mars (and bring them back afterwards).

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