A long-duration exposure facility for HUMANS. There we can test the radiation reducing methods, the spacesuits, the bunkers, the habitats, the machines, the medicines, the adaptation to lower gravity (but not zero gravity).
All this, a mere 3 days medevac away from Earth.
When the systems are working, and the technology is mature and the launch mass per annum is in the right ballpark, THEN we can go to Mars.
Unfortunately, the Mars trip may not be in our lifetime, but this is the "safe" and "sensible" way to get there. It may not be the "best" and it's certainly not the quickest. It won't have the lowest casualty toll - there will be accidents on the Moon and during launches and re-entries, but it willmake what we eventually do on Mars safer...
Space/Science » in reply to re: No the medical/radiation problems also exist for the Moon.
Well, maybe THAT is the role of the Moon?
The whole thread (28 posts)
- Humans could be too frail for Mars