The primary analogy which pertains to the colonization of Mars is that of the settlement of the New World. The Moon is the proverbial Greenland, desolate but near civilization. The other planets, although they may be rich in resources, lack the conditions for the creation of a fully developed civilization. These areas, like the asteroid belts, compare to the West Indies. Only Mars has a full set of resources, within a close enough proximity to be a visible target for mankind. Similar to America in its relations to Europe, Mars can also be a steppingstone to the rest of the solar system, and with the right technology, the Galaxy. However, as Europeans view the Americas as a source of resources and support, its true purpose was as the basis of a new civilization. This new civilization provided the right type of people as well as a frontier environment which became the most powerful engines for human progress. The wealth of America is that it could support people, and the right kind of people chose to go there. Just as every part of America acted to create a new and innovative culture, Mars can be the steppingstone to a new level of human progress, as long as people can survive there.