None of them showed signs of life. We will learn our limits. In those early stories I took an extreme position. Mars is not wanted. The wealth and the opportunities are all in the asteroids and outer moons.
Extreme positions are more interesting than compromises.
My viewpoint may be peculiar. I've wanted to walk the surfaces of other worlds ever since I found Heinlein. Any excuse will do. Knowledge is always of value, and the value is never predictable. This, at least, we are doing right.