Replies

What they forgot in the article you linked is that we will go back to the moon first. We can then use the moon as a base to go to Mars, significantly cutting the cost of that trip, as was explained yesterday by the man that wrote the original Bush I space plan.

I would think that the cost of the moon base plus the cost of a mars mission from there would be equal to or greater than the cost of a mars mission from earth.

I think some people are assuming that the moon base is free. I mean, why not, it's the government's money.

"the cost of the moon base plus the cost of a mars mission from there would be equal to or greater than the cost of a mars mission from earth. "

Approximately. One way you get just one Mars mission, the other you get one Mars mission and a moonbase which can be used for other missions.

The Mars trip is just "flash" as far as I'm concerned. The moonbase is infrastructure for exploitation not just of the Moon but for near Earth and all of the Solar System.