The Gift

Another Ray Bradbury short story, The Gift, is set far in the future, when families can take casual space shuttle trips to Mars. In the beginning of The Gift, a father, mother and their small son board a space shuttle on the boy's first trip to Mars. NASA has sent exploration vehicles to the red planet to determine if Mars is, or will ever be, inhabitable. So it is very possible that trips like the one in The Gift will be available in the future.

I think the researching of Mars' ability to support life will prove very beneficial to the future of the human race when global warming takes its toll on Earth and the generations living on Earth will need a planet to evacuate to.