re: What is the deal with colonizing Mars?

There are plenty of websites and information about prior advanced life on Mars.

“The more we observe Mars, the more information we’re getting that it really is a fascinating planet, from the Curiosity Rover we now know that Mars once was like a planet very much like Earth, with long salty seas, with fresh water lakes, probably with snow capped peaks and clouds and a water cycle just like we’re studying here on Earth … Something has happened to Mars, it lost its water.” – John Grunsfeld, five time space flown astronaut, Associate Administrator Head of NASA Science Mission Directive