/sci/ - Science & Math

A few centuries or two of exploiting space resources, developing the technology for self-sufficient life-support around Earth
You send robot everywhere to gather resources for you as you slowly set up a ring of industry and space habitat around Earth, then the Moon which is where we learn to design factories for space while also protecting Earth.

As the first megastructures appear on the moon it become possible to supply and launch gigantic spaceship to outer planet. Explorer are sent with robotic probes they control from their spaceship.
No one actually land on any other planet as remote controlled robots get the job done better than any human ever would in their minimal-spaceship.
A business develop around making VR experience for every planet, they diversify by simulating life-bearing alien planets.
As our civilization reach post-scarcity and utopia, we end up with tourism to experience "in the flesh" (transhuman speaking) other planets.

The center of the new human civilization obviously become the orbit of Jupiter and its moons who possess more resources than mankind can use in thousand years.
Gigantic space habitat are built, replicating biomes of Earth, then fantasy biome with genetically engineered creatures.
Earth is slowly evacuated to rebuild it, as everyone is by now immortal we are more willing to wait for our turn to visit it later.

Finally we get all the technologies needed to terraform planet,
Then we build a Matrioshka brain so everyone can simulate reality-grade simulation of Earth or better while our self-replicating robot strip-mine Mars down to its core.
Star Citizen 1.0 release.

>>11849745
>Learn to research, Mars has higher quantity and quality sources than the moon for basically every significant resource. Your alternative is not the Moon in many cases but sourcing enormous amounts of raw resources from deep within the Earth's gravity well due to scarcity and low quality. Good luck competing with Mars on that basis, it can source most raw resources just as easily as Earth while launching them more cheaply in larger quantities. "Only good to live there" ironically is more appropriate for the Moon where even many of the available resources will be prohibitive to export.

Learn to follow the full chain from >>11849484, remember the argument and stop nitpicking. Mars have lot of raw material but it's not easily accessible without entire chain of industry or for a start technology you'll develop much faster on the Moon. By the time we gave the technology you need to live on the Mars you'll have a lot of better choice than Mars who will be at best a side project.
For the rest, it's just wrong for reasons and basic match that were explaining multiple time, the moon is WAY more accessible than Mars will ever be
You'll find another of your point have been already answered.

>>11849771
Your math rely on easy refueling on Mars, easy aerobraking with whatever undefined spaceship of anysize you have in mind.
My math use specialized orbit-to-orbit cargo, nuclear propulsion for the serious stuff. Using different kind of chemical engine depending of ISRU, and eventually making use of the advantage of having no atmosphere to cancel any fuel use.
You are thinking only short term with a few SpaceX Conestoga who will achieve nothing important, I'm thinking long term with a proper infrastructure that will grow exponentially.

Done my way you might actually colonize Mars faster as, say, a penal colony.