re: Thag wan't gET to MOON! - that won't get to Mars either.
... but, hey, we're goint to Pluto and Kuiper Belt... :) FINALLY!
Sustaining human life on the moon may be just as costly as lifting off human life and cargo beyond our Earth moon system.
The moon (far side included/away from radio and satellite distrubance) would be a wonderful site for astronomical observatories.
