A permanent base on Mars would have a number of advantages beyond being a bonanza for planetary science and geology. If, as some evidence suggests, exotic micro-organisms have arisen independently of terrestrial life, studying them could revolutionise biology, medicine and biotechnology.
There are a lot of people I would have liked to have collaborated with, and would still like to.
I don't understand why James Bond has to be a man all the time. When Pierce Brosnan retires, why not one of us?