Unmanned SpaceX Mission to Mars by 2018

Elon Musk has long declared his reason for creating SpaceX was to see humans become a multiplanetary species. To that end he has long set his sights on Mars as a possible location for a colony.

In order for that to happen, he needs to be able to get people and materials to the planet. Elon plans to send a Dragon spacecraft to mars by 2018 to start the process of learning what's involved in the 8 month journey and landing of materials and humans on Mars. This first trip will be unmanned and just for data gathering purposes. Still, it is exciting to see him systematically pursue his dream.

Here is an article on the topic