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Letters, various dates From Michael Wigley, Bissoe, Cornwall, UK

There has been a lot of coverage, mainly negative, on the idea of humans colonising Mars.

However, there is a long history of scientists saying something is impossible, only for it to be achieved. And even if we try and fail, it is likely to be worth the effort. We all know about the spin-offs from the Apollo missions, such as CT scans. To successfully colonise Mars, we may have to conquer cancer (there is no protective magnetic field on Mars), and have full closed-loop waste and water recycling, similarly efficient food production and more. Progress was never won by not attempting something.