Terraforming Mars

On Jun 9, 2008, at 12:33 PM, jim.piunti wrote:

> Question: I know that the moon can supply us with the vast majority of
> building materials we'll need for habitats, but thinking long term,
> will it and the asteroids be able to provide us with *everything* a
> human colony would need? Or will we still have to 'import' certain
> materials from earth and/or other planets?
>

My understanding is this: the Moon by itself certainly will not supply
everything we need (in large quantities, at least), as volatiles are
very scarce there. But other NEOs are rich in volatiles. Between the
two, there's no need (assuming a spacefaring civilization) to be
hauling stuff up from planetary gravity wells.

Best,
- Joe