Raoul,

I've argued the Moon/Mars thing so many times that I'm bored with it. However out of my respect for your intelligence, I'm doing it "one more time".

People don't just wake up one day and say to themselves, "We should skip the Moon and go directly to Mars". There's an evolution in one's understanding about Space Exploration that brings one to that conclusion. Fifteen years ago I was advocating that we should use the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars. However I did something that gbaikie and many of the other Moon people are incapable of doing: I listened to what other people were saying and tried to rationalize my own beliefs. In doing so I realized that for sound technical reasons we can not justify colonizing the Moon or engage in economic based activity there. I am convinced that if an intelligent and educated person thinks about this problem long enough (years? decades?) then he/she must come to the same conclusion.

Responding to your post:

>That's exactly the argument that made
>me drop TMS subscription, in 1992.

I'm not a member of The Mars Society.

>Of course, there is plenty on or from
>the Moon.

The Moon is mostly undifferentiated igneous rock, i.e. basalt. The lunar regolith has less useful mineral concentration than twice processed material in from a terrestrial mine dump (totally uneconomical).

>The Moon has some very interesting
>properties that are totally different
>from anything here on Earth....

There is no question that the Moon is of high scientific value. I strongly support the scientific (manned and unmanned) exploration of the Moon. I personally participated in spacecraft navigation studies (Lunar Orbit Injection burn determination) for the Lunar Prospector spacecraft. That was a worthwhile activity. My argument is the Moon is unsuitable for colonizaton and economic development.

>It has virtual vacuum, which is also >important for astronomy and physics
>(gravity wave detectors).

Obviously deep space has a much better vacuum.

>The ground is millions of times more
>stable than Earth's ground, again
>useful for science.

Obviously deep space is much more stable.

>It faces the Earth all the time or it
>never does, on the other side, which
>have their scientific importances.

You forgot to argue for a Lunar farside radio-telescope base. This will be very valuable because the Moon would shield against the Earth's radio noise. Again this argument has nothing to do with colonization or economics.

>It is not too far from Earth, which has
>logistical and safety matters (compared >to Mars).

When things go wrong in space they tend to go wrong fast. Yes I know about Apollo 13 and I also know about Challenger. Propulsive events are what frightens astronauts.

>If we don't defend the Moon, how can we >defend Mars?

Because Mars is defensible and the Moon isn't (been there and done that).

>True, Mars has other expectations, has
>an atmosphere and could be colonized.

You've taken the first step towards becoming a true believer.

>It's colonization cannot, however, be
>based on the presence of an atmosphere
>as this one is far too thin to be >survivable.

Wrong. The atmosphere is the key to Martian colonization. Biology must have nitrogen and carbon. The Moon has almost none of either element. Both elements can easily be acquired from the Martian atmosphere.

>The Mars environment is as deadly as
>the Moon's.

Wrong. The Martian atmosphere shields from primary cosmic rays and most of the solar wind. Also the Martian "day" is almost 24 hours unlike 28 terrestrial days for a Lunar "day". Finally the 0.38 G Martian gravity can sustain the human body unlike the much weaker Lunar gravity. These are show-stoppers points concerning Lunar colonization.

>Terraforming Mars? It's far too early >to consider this.

Prompt Mars terraformation is bullshit. The concept comes from the same people pushing Mars exobiology (they use the same faulty science for both notions).

>Asteroids too are not that different
>from the Moon in many aspects.

We can hollow out asteroids and build O'Neal colonies inside them. We should do that after we setup a colony on Mars.

>And finally, for me, the most important
>(but of course, not for most americans,
>I'm afraid),from the Moon, we see the
>Earth as it truly is...a planet.

From Mars we can see the Earth as a bright blue morning star.

Gary