We are not too successful terraforming the earth. We currently do not have the technology to wipe out unwanted insects and bacteria, or to reverse the process of desertification. We do not have the economic strenght to prevent global warming (yes I understand that this is excatly what we would need on Mars.) I do not believe the human species to be intelligent enough to terraform another planet, it would have to be done by some form of artificial intellingence. It would almost certainly be safer to build settlements, like a larger scale ISS. If a building fails, a few dozen people could die, but if an entire ecosytem failed, you get the point.

Either way, who would want to live on Mars? The reduced sunlight would lead to widespread depression. All the resources and manpower would have to be directed toward the singular goal of keeping the colony going. The low gravity would lead to brittle bones, the low atmothpheric pressure, and wild temperature fluctuations (due to the elyptical orbit) would cause a major increase in asthma and other diseases. And even if we could teraform the planet, humans as currently constituted could not survive so whats the point? It is unknow currently if we could even reproduce in low gravity. Only a genetically modified species could thrive on Mars on a permanent basis. Why create and finance a species for the sole purpose of maintaining an inhospitible land? Why waste valuable resource to sustain this civilization? Morbid curiosity? Would you want to abandon all of our governments social programs, military spending, and infrastruction investment for the purpose of creating an alien civilization? What possible economic incentive would there be to the people of earth?

-Buzz Killian

 I agree with this guy.