You can have both, in my opinion. A huge Mars colonization project would yield tremendous technological spinoffs, not to mention employment for thousands of sc

You can have both, in my opinion. A huge Mars colonization project would yield tremendous technological spinoffs, not to mention employment for thousands of scientists and engineers, a national sense of purpose, a lot more research spending into disease and immunity (imagine the medical risks of being cooped up in a closed system with 50 other people for months at a time).