Hey, so people like the idea of going to Mars, right? Distant planet where we could go and establish our first space colony. Sounds awesome! But, here's the thing... Shouldn't we colonize the Moon first before we even 'think' about going to Mars?

For starters, the Moon is literally right there, relatively close to the Earth. It shouldn't take more than a few months at best to send people up there, and we have sent people up there in the past. Mars? A few dozen million miles away.

Second, since we've established we have the capacity to send humans to the Moon, shouldn't we now begin to experiment with the idea of building and managing a livable environment on the Moon? That way, if something goes wrong, ground base back on Earth can send supplies to those who need it.

I just want to put it out there that I'm not a science-y person, so I have no real idea what exactly we're doing in space right now. I don't know if there is any real, serious plan to get to Mars, but if we do, wouldn't making a base on the Moon first be a good idea?

Thoughts?

seems like a smart move. and then those moon people rebel agaisnt the government and become independent!

Personally I think we should start in space. The ISS is a fancy first step, but it's all zero-g experiments and observation. An orbital construction shipyard at a LG point would be glorious. Think how much further we could go if we didn't have to worry about escape velocity in the first place.

Only if we can make gundanium.

I don't like zero g you lose a lot of muscle that way. though I don't know if there's a way to simulate gravity on the moon.

We would probably have to somewhat colonize the moon (or at least a really big space station) before going to mars. To get off of the ground and break the gravity here on earth, we have to use a tremendous amount of fuel (in fact almost all the fuel is used just on take off). If we kept the same amount of fuel, but launched off the moon or a space station, you arent fighting that gravity and can use that fuel while travelling in space, can probably travel faster and can actually navigate in space itself better.

So i could see us having small settlements on the moon where the people who make this all happen end up living.

Space or moon lacks atmosphere. Mars has atmosphere. Atmosphere equals shielding. For short term (even months long) exposure the radiation levels aren't terrible so the space station works, but for colonization that shielding is pretty much critical.

Moon would make sense. I think they have found water in the rocks, but if not, they have all the raw materials needed to build on the moon, other than the water. Couple that with the reduced gravity , it would be easier to get a fully equipped craft launched from there to anywhere out in space.

Of course, the logistics of building on the moon are probably just as daunting as building in space or trying to launch from this planet. OK, the logistics of the build are easier here, but the logistics of the trip are still more daunting than a moon or space based launch.