Not only will the rockets be built differently, but they won't have to carry food or water, reducing weight and cost as previously mentioned. NASA estimated that sending a manned mission to Mars would cost at least billions of dollars (Mann - Humans VS Robots, 11). Instead of sending one crewed mission, multiple robotic missions could be sent allowing for even faster data collection. For a long time, space funding has been a constant; from approximately 2012 to 2017, NASA is expected to receive approximately 17.7 billion per year in funding, making robotic space exploration a much more fiscal solution (Mann – Almost Being There, 13). Cost has been one of the biggest, if not the biggest, issues with space travel, as discussed by the TAM 2011 Space Panel in Las Vegas.