Why Mars?
“On Mars the resources exist that could allow travelers to grow food, make plastics and metals, and generate large quantities of power. There is no element in large-scale use by human society today which cannot be found in adequate quantities on Mars, and its environmental conditions, in terms of radiation, sunlight availability, and day-night temperature swings, are well within limits acceptable to different stages of human settlement on its surface.”
— Robert Zubrin, 2021
The answer to "Why Mars," is in the founding declaration of the Mars Society. Resuable rockets, burning inexpensive fuel like methane, bring costs down. There is the abliity now to lift people and materials into orbit and send them to another world. Hear the Mars Society President, Robert Zubrin, explain reasons why we, as a species, should go."
So, why NOT go? Here is what Mars has to offer human settlement.