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by andechs 1862 days ago
I think you're underestimating the value of "you can breathe the air" and "water is easily available via melting snow" when comparing it to Antartica.
1 comments

I'm suggesting that Mars may be a more hospitable place than the moon, not more hospitable than Antarctica. Antarctica is a much easier place to survive than Mars or the moon, but the long-term benefits of establishing a permanent human presence are less. We also already have a lot of people living in Antarctica; according to wikipedia, there are about 40 year-round bases, and the population varies from about 4,000 in the summer to about 1,000 in the winter.