Have mercy. A lot of us space enthusiasts have simply never looked at it in the kind of detail that you guys have. On the surface of it, the idea of building launchpads on the Moon to get to Mars seems to make sense. We've been told for decades that we'd get to the rest of the solar system via the "Battlestar Galactica" approach, as Zubrin calls it. It can take a lot of convincing to get someone out of that frame of mind, especially a layperson who may have to accept the finer details on faith.

But you guys kept at it, and it looks like the idea has taken firm root. When we have people on Mars, and a realistic presence on the moon, we'll owe you our thanks.