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One resource Mars has that no land on Earth has is Low Mars Orbit. It is much easier to launch mass into the solar system from Mars because LMO is closer to the
by crawshaw 9y ago
One resource Mars has that no land on Earth has is Low Mars Orbit. It is much easier to launch mass into the solar system from Mars because LMO is closer to the surface in terms of velocity than LEO. Space craft don't need booster stages on Mars.
- LeifCarrotson 9y agohttps://xkcd.com/681_large/ https://xkcd.com/681_large/ This was the most approachable explanation of gravity wells I've seen.
- sp332 9y agoIt would be even easier from Earth's moon though.
- crawshaw 9y agoIt is easier to reach a stable orbit from the moon. The question is how much harder is it to build a self-sustaining civilization on the moon than Mars, and is that difference worth the easier orbit? I don't know the answer. I suspect what matters is the number of stages to orbit for a large mass vehicle. We can just about build a single stage craft from earth, but it can't carry anything. On Mars, a SSTO can carry many tons. You could carry even more from the moon, but I suspect a viable SSTO to orbit is key, and a few extra tons doesn't add much. So at that point, you may as well go with the warmer site with more-comfortable gravity, Mars.