Once the capability to go existed, the prospect of regular visits, and then a permanent colony, would beckon.

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But, when it comes to growing crops and supporting a longer expedition -- or permanent colony -- it's more of a slow crawl.

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Mr Lane took a special interest in the two patches, learning that the British Museum had never determined what was under them even though the map had been in its collection since 1866 and was on show in 2007 as part of the quadricentennial of Jamestown, Virginia, the site of England's first permanent colony in America.

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Jamestown preceded Plymouth by thirteen years as the first permanent English colony on the continent.

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And in perhaps the week's oddest story, the Dutch nonprofit Mars One announced that it is now accepting applications for a four-person Mars colony with hopes of establishing a permanent settlement on the Red Planet.

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