/sci/ - Science & Math

>>11763233
Mars' surface is covered in regolith, which has a consistency between fine gravel and dust. Unless you find a particularly rocky area, you as well be riding a bike in a desert.

>>1543091

You need to bear in mind the fact that the cost to get humans into space is astronomical compared with unmanned probes. A misunderstanding of this is why a lot of people can't understand why we have not been back to the moon, or why we have not sent humans beyond Earth's orbit at all since 1972.
Also Mars has no global magnetic field; which would cause serious damage to RNA and DNA, which means we can't even live in the surface. We'd have to take enormous drills and explosives to get to depths greater than 7.5 metres below the planet's surface where we'd be safe from cosmic radiation.
And I'm not even mentioning the costs of bringing all that machinery to Mars, let alone food and water for a colony to survive.