Mars is a different planet. We are talking about Mars not a planet thousands of years away.
> Yep, you said it: it's a big PR stunt.
I didn't say that, you did. My point is humans connect with other humans not rovers.
Not only is it more ridiculous, but the first step then would be to find a way to survive in complete autonomy in an environment that has no breathable air. No need to build rockets for that, we can put a box in the ocean and try to get people to live there in similar conditions until we get life support working.