Assuming that we probably won’t be able to do both simultaneously. Should we be focussing on returning to the moon before going to Mars?

MT: That Mars vs. Moon debate isn’t new. I’m partial to the Moon myself, partly out of sheer practicality and partial out of temperment. There’s something very appealing to me about a human presence on the moon. Wether the moon presents more immediate or more compelling prospects for a permanent presence is a different matter and something I’m hesitant to pontificate on. Donald F. Robertson wrote a very compelling and articulate case for the return for the moon when he guest blogged here a short while. You can read the article here. I for my part can say little to add to his argument other than to say that I think the moon still has the power to inspire the public imagination. That’s something that people who have a been there done that attitude towards the moon are missing.

Now over to some people who know a lot more about space than I do:

Robert Zubrin:
No. Mars is the goal. It is the planet that has the resources to support life and civilization. in the coming age of exploration, Mars compares to the Moon as North America compared to Greenland during the last exploring age. Greenland was closer to Europe, and Europeans reached it first. But it was too poor an environment in which to establish a new branch of human civilization. Like North America was in its time, Mars is the true prize before us. We should aim for it.

Dr. Robert Zubrin is an aerospace engineer, president of the Mars Society and author of The Case For Mars.

Jeff Krukin:
We can do both simultaneously IF NASA uses the private sector in the manner in which it was directed by the Aldridge Commission, and if it wasn’t necessary to meet the artificial deadline imposed by the President for returning to the Moon. In other words, if NASA emphasized supporting the development of the emerging commercial space industry (NewSpace) for Earth-to-orbit transportation, and worked within the timeline and capabilities of this new industry, it would ultimately spend less on space transporation and be able to turn its limited resources toward Mars and the far frontier, for which the private sector has no interest. For more on this, please see our new policy white paper at (link).

On the other hand, if nothing changes and NASA continues along it’s current path, we should return to the Moon and develop a robust cislunar economy before going on to Mars. Otherwise, we won’t get to Mars for decades because the political support required cannot be maintained for just one Mars manned mission, let alone a sustained human presence. It’s more important and valuable to develop an economically sustainable and therefore permanent human presence in space than it is to sprint to any one destination. The goal isn’t just the Moon or Mars, but rather an ongoing human migration into space, and that will not happen solely on the taxpayer’s purse.

Jeff Krukin, Executive Director Space Frontier Foundation

Lab Lemming:
What do you mean “we?” It is my prediction that the next person to set foot on the moon will be a Chinese man. What I do not know is whether he will be a government astronaut, or a multi-zillionaire space tourist. But I am confident that he will get to the moon before any living human reaches Mars.

As for the science, there are still several scientific objectives that could potentially be fulfilled by going back to the moon. A piece of lunar mantle would be really nice to have, for example. And until more rover, sample-return, and remote sensing work is done on Mars, we won’t really know the best part of the red planet to land on.

The Lab Lemming is the ghost in the machines of a geology and planetary science laborotory. (we’ve respected his desire to remain anymonous- Ed)

Giulo Prisco:
I think we should return to the Moon first, then move on to Mars and beyond. There are many practical and engineering considerations in favor of returning to the Moon first, but here I want to focus on the psychological effects of looking at the Moon knowing that there are persons living there.

I was eleven years old when I watched Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon. That had a very powerful effect on me and so many other people of my generation. With these powerful images burned in my mind I studied sciences and became a science professional and a transhumanist. I worked for the European Space Agency on projects related to the Space Station, so I understand all the scientific justifications for the Space Station. At the same time, I have always been persuaded that its psychological impact on people down on Earth is almost nil.

Instead, imagine looking at the Moon and knowing that there is a permanently manned base there. Knowing that right now there are people looking at the stars from a city on the Moon. This would have, I think, a huge psychological impact on individuals and on humanity as a species, and fill us with hope and energy for new achievements in space and on Earth.

Giulio Prisco is the Director of the futurist consulting consortium FutureTag. He is former physicist and computer scientist, and former manager in the European space and defense administration. He also blogs at Horizontes (in spanish).

Dan Schrimpsher:
The short answer is the Moon.

If you are still interested, here is the long answer. I used to be a fully green-blooded Zubernite Mars guy. But with time and wisdom, I have come to a new way of thinking. I know the “New World” analogy is strained, but what if Christopher Columbus had come to the San Salvador, took some herbs and gold and went bad home for good. I would be living in the Black Forest eating wiener schnitzel.

What good is exploration without expansion? I think it makes sense to secure a foothold close to home and hone our skills as a space fairing society, before going six months out. It isn’t just the technology. Bob Zurbin is correct that the Moon is a poor model for Mars. The cultural and political evolution that I believe will happen when a percentage of the population lives away from our planet is more important than the technology.

Dan Schrimpsher is the Software Engineering Lead over the Common Data Link Interface for the Army’s System of System and blogs at Space Pragmatism.

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