In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana (an area that now includes almost a third of the continental United States) from the French. This great mostly undiscovered country was the exploratory challenge of the early 19th Century. It was expected that great resources, new lands for settlement, unknown plants, animals and minerals were to be found in this area.

Finding what was beyond the borders of civilization was a challenge the young nation had to take up if it was to take advantage of the great opportunities beyond the Mississippi River. Jefferson dreamed of a nation that would stretch from ocean to ocean, a great country that would expand to fill the whole continent one side to the other

Throughout history, humans have beheld the natural universe with awe and irrepressible curiosity. Space is the final frontier of exploration. Mars is an intriguing and exciting planet and many adventures and findings still await explorers.

The dream of human exploration of Mars is closely related to the belief that new lands create new opportunities. In human history, large numbers of people move as a result of overcrowding, exhaustion of resources, the search for religious or economic freedom, competitive advantage and other human concerns. Rarely have humans entered new territory then completely abandoned it. In the past, a few people were adventurous enough to adopt a newly-found territory as their home. Most of these settlements eventually become economically self-sufficient. The technological revolution of the 20th Century, with high speed communication and transportation and integrated economic activity, has reversed the trend toward human diversity; however, settlement of the planets can again enlarge the sphere of human action and life.

The exploration and settlement of Mars presents new problems and challenges. Can we learn from the Lewis and Clark Expedition to determine the potential of exploring this unknown land? How can aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition inform us about problems of exploring Mars? Is it worth our time and resources to journey to the unknown?