Re: Ha, Mars...
First off, the moon is far from conquered.
Second, I'M not promoting ignoring one in favor of the other.
Let me make an outline in order of importance in my personal
opinion, certainly not all inclusive...
=Scientific discoveries about destination.
-Apollo
=Utilization of destination as platform for other discoveries.
=Civil/industrial settlement of destination.
If you want to go to Mars, the easiest way is to go to Mars.
You don't NEED to build an orbital shipyard or habitats on
the moon.
ET