The Americas were discovered in 1492,a little over five hundred years ago, much has changed since then. Living in the United States and looking around it is hard to imagine that the journey to the Americas was once a voyage filled with hardship guaranteeing nothing but hardship and possible death. However the periods between 1492 and 1750 were one of the most explorative periods in human history. Humanity still has at least one more massive exploration opportunity ahead in the foreseeable future. That opportunity is the settling of Mars.