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You are generally correct about striving and exploring, but I believe that would not apply to space travel. There is something inherently dangerous, unnatural, and of questionable value when mankind explores places whee he is unsuited to survive in his natural state.

I disagree. I think it is just a higher level to which we must strive. We have explored some of them most inhospitable places on this earth. Crossing the continents as nomads, humans were able to pull all the resources they needed from their immediate environment. The next step of our exploration, crossing the oceans, we lost that ability: we had to carry our own shelter, water, food and other supplies. So we used tools and developed constructs (ships, etc.) to facilitate the exploration. Space exploration requires the same development and preparation, except to an even higher degree. A man outside of a properly-stocked ship on the ocean could live for a number of days, perhaps a few weeks. But more than likely, he would die. A man outside of a spaceship in space would die in seconds. Ultimately, its the same equation, the same risk, except the risk of death is certain rather than almost certain.

The void of space itself is inimical to life, but there are other planets that may not be. Long-term colonization of Mars is an achievable goal. Small-scale terraforming is not out of our technological reach. Hell, if you believe the global warming fanatics, humans are even capable of changing the climate of an entire planet.

We have an amazing, God-given ability to adapt to our environment. But we also have an amazing, God-given ability to conquer and transfer our environment for our own well-being and comfort.

We are meant to grow, strive, adapt, discover, explore and move forward. It's what human beings are ultimately designed for, physically and psychologically. That's why we stagnate and devolve when there are too many of us in a single place for too long. Its the manifest destiny of the human condition.

Something to keep in mind here is that the human body is designed to walk upright, sleep about a third of its time, breathe air with the chemical composition of what is found here on earth, and live in a terrestrial environment with very specific gravitational constraints. Surviving for an extended period of time outside these constraints is much different than surviving in wild, inhospitable places here on earth.

If we don't even have any permanent settlements at the South Pole, I can't imagine why anyone would be optimistic about establishing a human presence on Mars.