Mars Society Statement on Bush Space Initiative

> Mars Society Statement on Bush Space Initiative
> January 24, 2004
> Reprint or pass on as desired
> For further information about the Mars Society, visit
> our website at
> www.marssociety.org, or contact info@m...
>
.
>
> Other systems should be developed with similar concern
> for maximum
> commonality of hardware and technology across lunar
> and Mars mission
> applications.
>

I can't see this happening. The Moon and Mars present different
environments with different challenges; Mars has an atmosphere and
wind, the moon doesn't. Until a nuclear power plant is online on
the moon, a lunar base will be using large flimsy solar panels or
similar structures to supply power - something that just won't work
on Mars. A lunar base would be below the surface, a Martian base on
the surface. A lunar mission might bring all its fuel with it, a
Mars mission would derive fuel for the return flight from the
Martian atmosphere. They are only comparable in that they are both
space travel to low-gee bodies.

Ed