...NASA should lobby Congress first to ensure the US has its rocket program back on line. For some time now, the US has been forking out 20 billion dollars plus per year to the Russians for the use of their Soyuz rockets. (as well as paying for European Space commission assets)
IMO this project should be a joint international effort (good for Science, Exploration, economics and global political stability)
Plus we need to trash QM theory first before we even think about invading the Martian landscape with our human lunacy and deranged sense of moral arrogance and ethical impotence.