Maybe the distance itself is why people are so excited about Mars. When you go to the Moon, human civilization is right there and can interfere with whatever yo

Maybe the distance itself is why people are so excited about Mars. When you go to the Moon, human civilization is right there and can interfere with whatever you may wish to accomplish, while on mars it seems so far away that earthly powers will be hard pressed to keep control, but not far enough as to be unfeasible to go to. You can start something new, something your that's your own. It's like the difference between going to Ireland and going to America. Or at least it evokes those kinds of emotions. Truth is you'll be so reliant on Earth in both Mars and the Moon for several generations as to make this distinction moot, but humans are more emotional than rational in nature.