Going to Mars is going to pretty much always be a one way trip as far as any colony level stuff goes (other than just like a small ship with a few folks like we did for the moon), due to how much resources it would take to bring folks back from Mars. Travel from Mars back to Earth probably won't really be done much until Mars is setup to produce some sort of rocket fuel, or we get nuclear powered rockets built.
But for all their pie in the sky plans, I don't see anyone doing an actual proper test to see if ideas even work.
Let's make it super easy....
Parachute drop everything you would actually rocket to Mars for the first trip, onto one of the Himalayan mountain ranges, (as high up as you can find a plateau) Then parachute drop the people down there as well. Then tell them, good luck, in about 3 years we can send another supply drop and maybe more people. See how they do and if they become a thriving place?
What mountain landing too hard...
Okay make it practically cheating, we'll let them do the same thing in the center of Antarctica.
Remember winter in Antarctica or at the top of the Himalayas would be a summer night on Mars.
Figure out if they can actually live for 3 or more years like that with no supplies or people in and out, then ask those that survive, if they would like to go do it all over again on Mars.
