We just established that we would need to invent a lot of new and useful things to make a Mars colony work. How is inventing new and useful things a useless act

We just established that we would need to invent a lot of new and useful things to make a Mars colony work. How is inventing new and useful things a useless action? > If I had to allocate them, I'd put them working on renewables, useful carbon capture, and artificial "slow organics" like wood. All of these things would probably be worked on as part of Mars colonization, no? It's just the Mars colony excites smart people. Working on solar on earth, with loads of fossil fuels and an associated lack of appreciation for your work, is much less exciting. Someone who fixes solar panels on Earth is making minimum wage. Someone who fixes the solar panel array at the Mars Colony is a hero.