Comment by MrSkelter

I think the point is that Mars isn’t an extension of what we tend to imagine in terms of exploration. We aren’t going to establish a beachhead and expand. It’s hostile in ways that mean we will never be more than visitors on a knife edge.

Put it this way, the Antarctic is vastly friendlier. Paradise by comparison. Breathable air and unlimited water. Yet we can’t even self sustain there.