Makes Literally No Sense From Start To Finish

I hadn't watched this since I was a kid and remembered as being a pretty good film. However rewatching now, it just seems ridiculous:-

They know the life support systems would fail but rather than the embarrassment of delaying the mission they go ahead anyway because it would make the program look bad & they could maybe improve public support and get increased funding. But then they decide to just kill them anyway which, er, is going to make them look bad and decrease public support!

Why didn't they just say it was a race against time to beat the Russians and if they got their ship away first, they could fake the landing and claim they were first to Mars anyway...

They kill the technician who is aware the TV signals aren't coming from anywhere near Mars, yet leave his reporter buddy alive. Then they go to the massive expensive of refitting his mate's pad (in case he shows up) and planting Captain Furillo's ex-wife there to throw him off the trail. BUT then decide to tamper with his car to kill him, whilst he's inside having a look around the apartment. If you're going to mess with his car, do it BEFORE then you don't need to bother with ANY of that shenanigans...

Then they have instant relay communication with the ship for the wifes as they're no longer on Mars but still at least a month away from returning to Earth!! How's that working exactly?

Then the FBI set up a drugs bust at the guy's house, so they can get him out of the picture. Yet inexplicably, they subsequently seem to have taken him down to the local police station so he can be held overnight and bailed the next morning! How exactly is that working?

Then they take these guys to some out of the way hanger or something and despite all the expense spent on this incredible deception decide to leave them without even one, ONE guard to watch over them 😂...

But hang on - Maybe that's actually okay because despite taking them there presumably to kill them (as they could never be seen again with blowing the whole thing) they must have known they were going to escape as there's no fuel left in the plane from them to get anywhere... Presumably the plan was for the (non) guards to walk back without the plane after they'd taken care of them!

Then three astronauts - you presume with some survival training - decide their best bet is just to trek across open desert land in the searing heat during the day, rather than holing up somewhere among these rocks and walking at night...

I could go on but there's probably no one's left reading by this point. What a ridiculous film though!

The premise is excellent but the execution is just horrible.