But we don&#x27;t have the technology for a self sufficient mars colony.  We&#x27;re not even close.  Anything we put there is going to have to be expensively supported from Earth.<p>What will you do if you&#x27;re on Mars and the company that supplies you food, spare parts, and medical supplies goes out of business?<p>The Americas worked as colonies because they could become self sufficient in a very short period of time and had enormous quantities of valuable resources.  The trees alone were priceless to the parent countries where every tree was spoken for.  Even then some of the colonies failed.<p>What does Mars have that you couldn&#x27;t obtain more cheaply on Earth?