Colonization of Mars

Mars is the focus of much speculation and serious study about possible human colonization. Its surface conditions and the availability of water make it arguably the most hospitable of the planets in this solar system, other than Earth. The Moon has been proposed as the first location for human colonization, but unlike Earth's moon, Mars has the potential capacity to host human and other organic life. With an environment suitable for colonization, and potential for alteration into a stable ecosystem in the far future, Mars is considered by most scientists, including Stephen Hawking, as the ideal planet for future colonization and renewal of life. The colonization of Mars is a thought-provoking subject that captures the imagination of many people in science and science-fiction. The project of colonizing Mars provides a useful thought experiment for contemplating the future of humanity.

Terraforming of Mars

Some groups have speculated that Mars might one day be transformed so as to allow a wide variety of living things, including humans, to survive unaided on Mars' surface. Others make a variety of objections to doing so, some relating to technical feasibility, and others to desirability.