"Also, there’s the problem of how to ship large quantities of the material to build settlements – aerogel is insanely light but also very bulky. "
Or you could, maybe, manufacture it in situ from locally available materials? Silicon is hardly rare.
But the big question on permanent settlement of Mars doesn't get mentioned much: Can humans grow from conception to adulthood in Martian gravity? What problems would there be?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
