Petition Fund a manned mission to Mars

The idea of the UK funding a mission to Mars may sound extremely bizare but if a sensible approach to design is maintained the costs should be easily controlled to about 30 to 40 billion pounds, and in the long term the benefits to UK science and industry should actually outweigh the costs. - £ billion is no more than we are already planning to spend on other capital projects - like high speed railways or wind farms.
Benefits could include
- 100,000 new science technology jobs.
- Become a world science leader.
- Gain a major orbital lift capacity.
- Increase ties to American and international space industries.
- Gain a super large rocket launch capability eg 1000 tons to LEO, which could open up space to major commercial development or mass tourism.
- Take a major leap forward for Earths science.