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It seems like it's more whether we're going to get there in this or that than where we land. Mars is a whole planet, an there are many places to land there. We could land in the hallas basin (i think) the biggest obvious impact basin in the solar system. We could land at the north or south pole and look for water. We could land in vallas mareneris, for the thick (relatively) atmosphere) and areology. We could land on olympus mons, for the shorter ride to orbit. Where do you suggest?
-Josh
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The limits are, in short:
A) Power Source - likely to be solar, which means the poles would be a no-no initially and don't hold your breath for nuclear reactors; lord knows dragging that much plutonium or uranium will raise a ruccus both nationally and internationally.
B) Safety - this'll depend on the capability of the manned lander. I imagine like unmanned landers we may have to avoid rough terrain like what's bound to exist on any of the volcanoes, canyons, and polar caps. As appealing Mariner Valley is...you typically don't wanna risk crashing into sheer cliffs.
However for suggestions I'd off-the-bat suggest any of the channels, namely Ares Vallis or Kasei Vallis. Possibly more appealing might be visiting Gusev Crater - Spirit has both scouted it and reveals it has chapters in Martian history to keep a base well-occupied.
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