The point is not to put yeast on Mars. The research isn't part of some terraforming or settlement program. It is to understand whether Mars conditions are ini

The point is not to put yeast on Mars. The research isn't part of some terraforming or settlement program. It is to understand whether Mars conditions are inimical to life entirely. Turns out that some common modern earth life forms can survive Mars like conditions. That is interesting in and of itself and raises further questions on why life doesn't appear to have existed or survived on Mars today. It's just science, making small steps in our understanding of the universe.