>>12710432Of course people would be signing up in droves when a Mars colony is a new, futuristic idea and there's few opportunities to get to space; but once the novelty wears off and getting into space is a very realistic goal, it'll simply be impossible for the draw to compete with near-Earth space where everything is far better.
Mars would probably just be a place for very devoted scientists to study the planet (plus assorted staff to manage the colony), and in that case it's very reliant on Mars continuing to be scientifically interesting for decades even when it can be studied with ease.
It could very well be that after just one decade, the only science left to do is geological surveys and long-term monitoring projects that don't benefit significantly from human presence. It is most likely just a lifeless rock after all, with very exposed features. After that point, who would stay?
