I wouldn't call the difficulties on Guam or Antartica staggering. It's expensive but damn near everything there is a known-known or close to it.
Mars isn't that easy but a lot of the problems evaporate if you can assume that we will spend lavishly to supply whoever goes there.
We could support a Mars research colony at current levels of technology if there was political will to spend the money. But there isn't so the long slow march of technological progress will have to bring the price down to something we can justify.
Mars isn't that easy but a lot of the problems evaporate if you can assume that we will spend lavishly to supply whoever goes there.
We could support a Mars research colony at current levels of technology if there was political will to spend the money. But there isn't so the long slow march of technological progress will have to bring the price down to something we can justify.