anyone for a Mars Bar....

I have often been asked what would be my ultimate location for landscapes the answer to which is always the same 'Another Planet.' (no chance of someone doing the same shot there, see previous post)
But my answer is probably a foolish one because besides the lack of oxygen and gravity, the extreme heat, the extreme cold and no fizzy drinks, there are places on planet Earth that are remarkably similar to other outer worlds. The image above is of Mars (if you have not seen it on the news) taken from the NASA Phoenix lander, but it could easily be one of my images from Lanzarote.
I have always been fascinated with the Solar System and like a lot of guys my age was always excited by the prospect of going into space when growing up.
It has always bothered me when people rant about the costs involved with these kinds of remarkable conquests and so I will quote my uncle who worked for NASA for almost fifty years:

"Uncle Alan, don't you think its a waste of money sending rockets and men into space?"

Uncle Alan "What would you rather the government spend there money on, housing pregnant teenagers...."

Now wheres my telescope...