The mortality for interplanetary spaceflight, in the near future, will likely be an order of magnitude lower than it was of the Age of Exploration’s front line. The comparison is terrible for several reasons. But it’s one that speaks to spirit, not means. If the Americas were uninhabited, they would have been—to colonial-era Europe—of comparable difficulty to setting up a permanent Lunar or Martian. (Note: NOT permanent population. Reproduction is harder.)