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actually, it would be way more complex to establish a self-sufficient colony on the moon. The moon lacks a lot of basic resources that mars provides, albeit in
by vitno 13y ago
actually, it would be way more complex to establish a self-sufficient colony on the moon. The moon lacks a lot of basic resources that mars provides, albeit in different ratios than earth does.
- rbanffy 13y agoThe Moon and Mars are very different worlds, but there are many reasons, local resources excepted, building a Moon colony should be easier. Lower gravity, no atmosphere and abundant solar energy should make metallurgy easy. The 3 light-second RTT may make telerobotics viable and allow some construction workers to have short commutes and to sleep at their homes.
- el_zorro 13y agoHowever, the lack of any hydrology on the surface of the moon means that ore veins will no exist, at least not at any level of purity that would warrant extraction. On Earth and Mars, running water has sorted minerals for us. The only thing you could really consistently 'mine' is He3 for fusion powerplants that don't yet exist, and oxygen + silicon/iron/calcium from the regolith. Hydrogen will have to be imported if anything useful is to be made, and it is cheaper to send hydrogen from Mars than it is to send it from Earth (if you can stand to wait a few months from shipment to delivery).