Colonizing Space: Great Opportunity Or Detrimental Risk?

When one considers our society's need for resources, the lack of those resources remaining, and the still expanding human population, we are faced with a number of dilemmas. What will we do when we run out of those resources? Will we be able to sustain our existence without them? Will we have to adjust our lifestyles and perhaps use less resources? Will we have to stop using resources specifically designed to put more money in executives pockets? All of these dilemmas allow us to have some free thought. Thought as to whether we could sustain ourselves on another planet. When we evaluate our vital needs like availability of food and water, and most importantly oxygen, the other planets aren't very accommodating. Saturn is far to close to the sun, Venus is 800 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, and the moon lacks water or any form of oxygen. Knowing that information leaves us with a question: What planet could we colonize? When we look at the different planets, Mars is the most hospitable host. There is availability of carbon dioxide which can be reverted back to oxygen for human consumption. As well as having gases used to fuel exploratory machines sent to the planet as well as other space crafts. There is also an availability of water on the planet that we could use;however,with all good there is also bad. The planets temperature ranges 20 to 40 degrees below zero, Also traveling to the planet is not only really expensive, but is also very time consuming, and dangerous. While a travel to the moon may only take three days, a travel to mars can take 6 months.Space has it's own dangers like meteoroids and asteroids to worry about as well.  The planets orbit and mars and the earth are on completely different ends of a cycle. Every two years the two planets align enough for our astronauts to risk the six month trip. Despite our society's advancement with space travel, science, and technology, we lack the proper equipment to make the trip without the alignment. We plan to visit the moon by 2020, and we have plans to visit mars within the next decade or two. We have technology in place to extract the oxygen from the carbon dioxide and use it for fuel in the drone sent before the human craft. Of course to evaluate whether or not a human, much less a civilization could live on the planet, they need hard evidence. Planning to use humans after the drone, and having them live there for a period, with little complications non relative to sustainable life will be the determination. To combat the cold temperatures we can use suits for everyone, and we can use the oxygen reverted from the carbon dioxide, and the water present on the planet to sustain a colony.