The article does not argue against human colonization of the solar system. The article argues that with current technology and capabilities, a manned mission t

The article does not argue against human colonization of the solar system. The article argues that with current technology and capabilities, a manned mission to Mars would actually do more harm than good to space exploration itself. Also, this is reasoning by analogy. Mars is not West America. If you want to argue for a manned mission to Mars, the article makes some excellent points that, by refuting them directly, would strengthen your argument.