Mars is the only place beyond Earth that:

- We can plausibly reach without "new physics"

- We can reliably find hydrothermally-processed ore without "new geology".

- Our technological toolkit can "just work", for mining and manufacturing.

The wind speed is a lol, you know that. Perchlorates are a nuisance that solves itself quickly in the presence of water and organic materials. The radiation is attenuated by that thin atmosphere, and more by a roof of dirt.

Water gonna be a problem though, and the atmosphere is just a little too thin for respirator+spandex.

But Mars' unique value proposition is the absence of f--cking humans.

Ain't no tax man 225 million kilometers into space. Nobody dropping cluster munitions on crowded beaches there either. And six-year-old kids can die of a lot of things on Mars, but probably won't be machine gunned by a tank crew that's had her cornered like a mouse for an hour.

I wish Elon all the best in colonising Mars, and I agree with him that our species NGMI if we have to sharehouse with maniacs on this one rock.