"In a week of major firsts on the Red Planet, NASA has announced that its Perseverance rover successfully turned carbon dioxide into oxygen in a planned test using an onboard instrument.

The technology could one day be used by human missions to the Red Planet."

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2021/04/22/nasas-perseverance-rover-has-made-oxygen-on-mars-for-the-first-time-ever/

Mars is the nearest planet upon which man could one day live, but I think in order to make colonization of Mars or even "routine" scientific missions a reality, we need a faster means of travel and the means by which people could return to earth.  I think this is quite likely in the future, maybe even in what is remaining of my lifetime.

2 hours ago, stans said:

faster means of travel and the means by which people could return to earth.

 

Currently its a six month trip. Then they would have to wait till Earth and Mars are in the right place for a return. VASIMR plasma rocket would get us there in 39 days.

Nuclear thermal propulsion in 3 months. In fact BXWT Technologies have the NASA contracts to develop such a thing. 

3 months is better than 6 months and 39 days is a whole lot better than 6 months.  Distance and achievable velocity are going to be issues with space travel because space is big.  I meany really, really big.

1 hour ago, stans said:

I meany really, really big.

 

Sure is. Possibly infinite.

Nice to know we have better forms of propulsion on the horizon though. 

Better forms of propulsion that make the outer planets achievable.