Humans have always had an explorers attitude -- wanting to know what exists over the next hill.   Mars has a land area similar to that on earth, so there is plenty of unexplored territory.   Some say that before we go to Mars that we should establish some outposts on the moon first.   The moon is certainly a lot closer to the earth but Mars is much more interesting.  Mars has more of the basic stuff needed to keep a colony of humans alive than the moon.  

It is a human trait that we feel we must expand our species to the farthest frontier.   Mars may not be the final frontier but is certainly out at the fringe.  Mars beckons us to discover its secrets. Mars has a fascinating and more complex geology than our moon. There are clear signs that liquid water once flowed on the surface of Mars. Water is the elixir of life. To live on another planet you must have water. Most scientists believe that water still exists, just below the surface in the form of permafrost.

Scientists believes these trenches
are evidence of water runoff.

.Mars also has some very tall mountains on Mars.  The tallest volcanic mountain towers 15 miles above the plain.  There may still be some geothermal activity going on.  Geothermal activity would be a great source of heat that could be used to extract water from the frozen ground

The sand and rocks on the surface of Mars appear to contain a lot of carbon compounds that are needed to sustain life.  Some believe that Mars may have supported primitive life in its early history.  Theoretically, life may still exist if Mars does, in fact,  have underground oceans of water heated by geothermal action.

The tallest volcanic mountain towers
15 miles above the plain.

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