Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Moon, Mars and Beyond.

The Reason Is Twofold
Mark Eby — (archived)

Lack of Understanding &
Lack of Nerve

You make these claims without addressing the issues of why going to the Moon first does so little.

Recap

Testing for Mars can be done on Earth and LEO for the most part including issues of long term reliability at far lower cost and risk.

Going to the Moon does not resolve the Mars Soil toxicity issues which you raised.

Going to the Moon first does not reduce travel or communication time with regard to Mars. Issues you raised without understanding their irrelevance to going to the Moon first.

The risks of space travel are extremely event related not primarily time related. Launch and reentry are the major risk points.

Time related risks like solar flares, radiation, and life support failure apply to both the Moon and Mars for long term missions with the exception that lunar dust is probably more physically dangerous due to its lack of erosion.

Moon first as currently formulated is simply a common sense gut feel approach that does not include a sound evaluation of long term costs, goals, or risks. It was formulated primarily as a political process not a technical one from what I've heard. But then KC KNOWS far more about this than me and would be a valuable source of information if he cared to comment on something important for a change.

It's easy to pick a bone with each of these sections as long as you ignore the others, but people who favor Mars take them all into account.

Regards,
Mark

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