> The bottom line is that Mars is an awful backup for life. In the near term, absolutely. But the long term goal is to colonize multiple planets/moons. Eventua

> The bottom line is that Mars is an awful backup for life. In the near term, absolutely. But the long term goal is to colonize multiple planets/moons. Eventually, Mars will be one of many worlds on which life finds a foothold, which is perhaps the best backup for life that humanity can currently deliver. But we still need to take that first step.