...how long do you think it would be before it got old and boring?

I think I'd want to go see Olympus Mons but after that I'd be ready to go home.

I think I'd want to go see Olympus Mons but after that I'd be ready to go home.

If a side of Olympus Mons reveals Martian geological epochs, one would regret not having enough years in one's lifetime to study such a trough of recordings.

Also, having a base where comforts of home are replicated to a degree will minimize the longing for home.

And, of course, there is the financial incentives. One year of mining, barring corporate malfeasance, can net a worker a retirement, a golden parachute and a life of Riley thereafter.

Have you ever lived somewhere where all there is on the ground in the winter is snow? After awhile it gets really depressing. Nothing but white. I think the same would happen with everything being red. No matter how interesting the terrain is.

From a distance ... sure, everything looks red on Mars.

From far above Earth, the planet is nothing but a blue dot. Yet, on the surface, the diversity and variety are mind-boggling.

When I was in the military, I wanted to see Europe so I volunteered for overseas duty. I got stationed in Spain for three years. After three weeks of seeing what it was about, I was ready to come home but had to put in my time.

I've heard of people stationed in Japan and get so tired of all the people looking the same that they can hardly take it.

You seemed fixated on the visual. Anywhere on Earth, there are history, architecture, culture and customs that are uniquely local, and cannot be experienced back home.

Obviously, Mars can't present any culture or customs. But the landscape provides a record of its history, and plenty of data for planetary and surface physics.

I worked in Spain for six months, and at the end I didn't want to leave!

How could you ever be bored in Spain, with all that fabulous architecture, art, history and - best of all - people who party from midnight until six in the morning? The food is pretty good too!

Wouldnt that depend upon living conditions ?

If they would be good, I wouldnt see a need to get back to earth, ever.

Poem, I hope you will accept this grammatical suggestion as well-intentioned and gentlemanly :-)

Since you are describing a hypothetical situation ("If the conditions..") the verb should be in the subjunctive mood, as described on many web pages. Thus, it would be better to write "If they were good, [then] I wouldn't see a need to get back to earth, ever." It's fine to omit "then," as you've done, which is why I've written it in brackets.

Sincerely, Anonymous of 4ct.

Well, thanks, but this was probably futile, since next time I'll probably do the same error again. Language and grammar never was my strength, and on top of that now I'm older, too.

You did not mention Valles Marineris. At 2,500 miles long, 120 miles wide, and up to 23,000 feet deep, it is the largest canyon in our solar system. The geological history of Mars is contained in it's layers. What a sight to behold that would be.

Watch your step. Don't fall in.

I would love to see that, as well as Olympus Mons and the "ice" (CO2?) caps.

I've also read that parts of the Valles Marineris are so far below the geoid that they may contain an atmosphere, or sorts, although not necessarily one that could sustain a human. If this is the case, then there could be fantastic erosion features that would boggle the mind. (If this suggestion about local gaseous 'pools' has been discredited then I'd appreciate heads up!)

The question in the OP came up when some company was offering one way rides to Mars. (I wonder what happened to that scheme.)

At first I thought "absolutely not!" but after peering at some maps, especially of the Valles Mariineris, and provided I was given a really reliable way to travel across the surface and down canyons, I'd volunteer - even for the one-way trip.

What a way to go!

Are we talking centuries from now or this one?

If we're talking the 21st century, imagine as those in the know have compared it to living in a boxcar in the middle of Antarctica for 3yrs. Unable to leave or change much of anything around you.

Sleep well. Try not to waste trillions of dollars invested by killing yourself.