Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Nothing Wrong With Geology or Emphasis on Life

re: Nothing Wrong With Geology or Emphasis on Life
Marsbug — (archived)

Mark, there are great many questions still unanswered about the moon, (Eg mascons, why the mare are more common on one face, what causes transient lunar events, how common outgassing is, how long vulcansim persisted etc etc). All the chemical elements present on mars are present on the moon, albeit in a less accesable form. It may be harder to extract oxygen and hydrogen (for example) from lunar rock and solar wind than from water ice but energy is not in short supply on the moon. With some extra ingenuity we can learn to live there.

However my problem with mars first actually stems from the way it is seen by many as the great hope for finding evidence of alien life. I think that the importance of finding evidence alien life is being overstated (can't believe I just typed that but it's how I feel), as are the odds of finding it comparitively easily on mars, in a fairly cynical ploy to get funding. Mars is a fascinating and beautifull world in its own right, but I think the imaginary green microbe under a rock somwhere on its surface has gotten bigger than the planet it resides on. For that reason I would like to see us turn away from mars in some ways, and focus on what we can learn from the moon and/or NEAs- and I think that is much more than is generally recognised.

Respectfully
John

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