Victorians/Columbus didn't exactly have scientific study on their mind. If there was oil or gold on Mars it would have been "discovered" several times over by now.
Also I'm not sure how we've "given up" considering there are two rovers on Mars right now, the last one going as recently as 2021, plus several more in development. People expecting Mars colonies by now have been reading too much sci-fi.
Also I'm not sure how we've "given up" considering there are two rovers on Mars right now, the last one going as recently as 2021, plus several more in development. People expecting Mars colonies by now have been reading too much sci-fi.