Here on this little planet called Earth,
Of good news there is always a dearth.
  So when we get the chance
  To have science advance
It is greeted with interest and mirth.

NASA once again has a great scheme
To fund a new space research team.
  The team is not human
  Since robots exhuming
Can face danger much more extreme.

We are sending off this Martian mission
As a scientific expedition.
  Geologic research
  We hope to encourage
And learn more about weather conditions.

There's a theory about Martian life
That has recently become more rife.
  People say life was there
  But it all disappeared
When the lack of water caused much strife.

So we launch a new probe into space
To seek out Mars's watering place.
  Will the climate we find
  Be what we have in mind
Or is it a wild goose chase?

We've sent spacecraft to scout Mars before,
Viking and Voyager went on tour.
  And even old Mariner
  Found the landscape barren or
Craters they'd rather ignore.

When preparing these forays, we knew
Martian climate could give us a clue
  As to how our own planet
  Is taken for granted
And what different events could accrue.

To find life on Mars would be quite odd
Like proving the existence of God.
  Sure, it would be fun
  But can it be done,
Or is this whole mission just flawed?

We've spent billions on our hi-tech rocket,
But now many people just knock it.
  They express their distaste
  For this gigantic waste
Of tax money pulled from their pocket.

But the missions continue to fly
Ignoring the taxpayers' cry.
  We proceed with the race
  To zoom all over space
Even if we don't really know why.