QUESTION:
What type of things will the astronauts have to go through to prepare for a
flight to Mars?

ANSWER from Mark Adler on December 13, 1997:
Well, we won't really know until we do it, but it probably won't be unlike
the preparation for the lunar missions as well as current shuttle and
station missions.  The answer is simulate, simulate, simulate.  They will do
the highest possible fidelity rehearsals of both the planned mission as well
as responses to unplanned events, such as failures and anomalies.  And they
will repeat them many, many times before embarking on the actual mission. 
In addition they would likely go through intensive training on the hardware
and software going with them, on the existing knowledge of Mars, and on the
methods to be used to investigate Mars when there.