[extropy-chat] MARS: Because it is hard

[Emlyn ORegan]

It sounds as though it could be intelligent to use both our moon and a
Mars moon. Set up our moon as a general staging area for anything off
earth, put a mission together to go from their to Mars via a base on a
Mars satellite. Is their some radically different form of propulsion
that could be used to go moon-to-moon, where the transport craft isn't
designed to go near a serious gravity well?

Emlyn

-----Original Message-----
From: Spike [mailto:spike66 at comcast.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, 13 April 2004 12:18 PM
To: 'ExI chat list'
Subject: RE: [extropy-chat] MARS: Because it is hard


> Robert J. Bradbury
> 
> Here is an interesting idea -- instead of using the Earth's moon
> as the staging base for the exploration of Mars -- what about using
> one of the Mars moons?  Spike -- what is the energy cost differential
> of going to a Mars moon instead of our moon?
> 
> Robert

The Mars satellites have a big advantage: they are so
small, their gravity wells are practically negligible.  Recall
that to land on an airless body requires fuel both to land
and to take off again.  

If we use Phobos and Deimos as staging areas, we
could still park stuff on the surface and use materials
from there.  The use of our moon as a staging area for Mars
exploration is the wrong answer methinks.  

spike

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