"... plans to send just a small group of people who would build a transparent dome that could be pressurized so that they could farm on Martian soil . . ."
What? Can you do that?
What? Can you do that?
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-08/martian-farms-...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Case-Mars-Settle-Planet/dp/1451608...
http://www.nss.org/settlement/ColoniesInSpace/colonies_chap0...
Most of what's talked about in that chapter will also be possible on Mars.