[Brett66]

indexing

[E Rocc]

Both the Moon and Mars loom large for those wanting to put our planet in a rocket ship's rearview mirror.

Aren't they the same place? Shiela Jackson-Lee said so and to disagree would be bigotry, right?

-Eric

[theDentist]

I say Mars. We've been to the Moon. We planted our Flag upon it. It's ours!
Let's plant old Glory upon the Martian surface.

Oh, and the ChiComs have said they're going to the moon. Let's ask them
to apply for VISAs first!

[discostu]

Colonization should gun for Mars. The moon doesn't have enough atmosphere, it gets too beat up by space junk, inspite of the distance Mars is safer.

[JenB]

I want to go to the Moon. I have since I was a kid - read too much Heinlein. Now every full moon I stare up and dream what it would be like to be there, looking up at Earth, bouncing around at a sixth of my normal weight... if they ever have Moon tourism, sign me up!

[Mr. Jeeves]

Neither, at least for the US. We're a welfare state now. We're done in space.

China and India will have a race to the moon in 10-12 years. The winner (probably China) will get to Mars first.

[boris]

The sad answer is: neither, at least in my lifetime.

The U.S. space program died on 9/11/01.

--Boris

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Go to the moon. Its closer. Its easy to land on and get off of. Regular travel to Mars is still dependent on new rocket technology.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Terraforming Mars?

Let's start with basics on the Moon. There's abundant sunlight at the South Pole (near the water) to provide power for a base.
Let's start close to home and build up some credibility. Mars can wait.
China has stated their intent and is working full throttle to put a base on the Moon.

[dead]

Go to the moon.

Tourism will provide the funding to build a giant observatory on the dark side (where Pink Floyd music will pop constantly into everybody's head.)

The scientific benefits could be enormous.

[hopespringseternal]

I have to believe that this argument is like two fleas fighting over who owns the dog.

Neither one is likely to happen any time soon. For self-sustaining bases, energy would probably have to be 10 to 100 times cheaper.

If you are talking about just going, we need infrastructure that nobody is even considering.

[afz400]

Either one or both, just not with my tax money. If you want to go so bad, pay for it yourself.

[hattend]

I vote Moon. Permanent bases this time. We can go to Mars from the moon.

[colorado tanker]

Go for Mars. I bet we find out modern-day liberals are descendants of Martians who fled here after they trashed their own planet.

[Physicist]

It would do more to put the nail in the coffin as to how unique life is or how common," O'Handley said.

A peculiar choice of metaphor, that.

[The_Victor]

Until there is an influx of cash, from either commercial profitability, or a renewed government commitment, we'll be doing neither.