Should we go to Mars?

I am never going to set foot on Mars.

I am part of a generation that came too late to explore the world but too early to pioneer the stars. That right there is a tough thought to stomach, but I know it to be true. It's okay, it's no one's fault. On the other hand, our children, or our children's children, should go. And if they don't get to, that will be our fault.

It's difficult nowadays to say anything about the space race, or rather the space slow-as-hell-stroll-through-the-park, without cringing. We were well on our way. We went to the Moon and back, several times. We sent the Voyager to boldly go where no man has ever been. We looked upon the skies and filled ourselves with new hopes and challenges.

But we stopped going. We gave up on space exploration. Poorly-founded astronomers (How did someone miss the opportunity of calling them skyentists and why isn't he or she in the gallows?) are the only ones looking out for anything up there anymore. That beggars the question, do we really have to go to Mars?

Yes, of course we do. And we are trying to. We sent the Curiosity out there. We landed. We are exploring Mars right now, even if it's in such a roundabout way. We are really, really trying. But that isn't enough. Mars is our future. Mars will be the place to go after we have filled the Earth. One day we will turn this:

into this:

But that's not it.

Wanna know why we have to go?

Cause it's next.

We came out of the cave, and we looked over the hill and we saw fire. We climbed mountains and dove into the seas unknown. We crossed the Ocean and we pioneered a whole new continent, finding what should have been long-lost brothers we didn't even knew we had, even if it sadly didn't go that way. We took in the whole of the world and mapped it out and then, we took to the skies. The history of man is hung on a timeline of exploration and this is what's next. Of course we have to go.

Why wouldn't we want to?

(Pics taken from http://www.reddit.com/r/spaceporn)