What a terrible idea. This is a classic case of running before you’ve learned to walk. Establish a lunar colony to get the kinks out (where you’re within reasonable rescue range) or even independent space stations in the Earth’s Lagrange points. Build your Mars-bound ship from there and you’re not dedicating needless resources to overcome escape velocity. Yes, the first Martian “settlers” will spend the rest of their lives there. The problem is that it’s likely to be a very short period of time.
“What a terrible idea.”
Yes, establishing a Martian colony is a terrible idea — just like sending small, rickety wooden boats across the Atlantic in the 1400 to explore the new world.
They had no idea what they would find, and faced the possibility of a short life due to hostile native attacks, stormed or starvation.
Really terrible idea.
Much better to stay put in nice, safe Europe for a few hundred years until the get the kinks out.