Moon versus Mars

The National Geographic Channel has a new television series called Mars. Or maybe it is called MARS. Mars was a god of war--it makes sense that this television show would be titled in all caps, shouting. Like the plot of the wonderful book, The Martian by Andy Weir, entrepreneur Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars. The goal is to get to Mars by 2030 or 2033. I don't recall which.

It will take two to three years to get there, plus they will need to send a bunch of stuff there earlier so the planet-aunauts will have supplies there before they arrive. I can understand why they would need to send stuff early and why they would need to send so much stuff--it is a long, long trip. This would be the difference between going to stay at a hotel downtown for a weekend and moving to Europe. Unlike Mars, you can buy clothes and food in Europe. Mars does not yet have retail.

While I think traveling to Mars would be exceptionally cool, I wonder why don't they colonize the moon first? I am not trying to negative about Mars, but rather practical, if space travel is ever practical. The moon is so much closer. If nothing else, they could do practice runs to the moon before they take off for Mars. They could practice setting up their habitats, driving around, and figuring out food. Much of this practice has taken place on the International Space Station (ISS), except they have been self-contained on the ISS. They might get outside for a walk once in a while, but not like walking down the street from one moon house to another.

Imagine the moon colonized. It could be the like the station at the South Pole. You could have scientific research centers there, and the systems to support life, like food services, laundry, tech support and facilities management. One of my friends learned to drive a truck in the snow and got a job as a truck driver on Antarctica.

You could have the same thing on the moon, but you could also add a hotel for tourism. People could visit the moon, and fly there when they send up new batches of supplies like food, water and oxygen. The tourists could spend a few days there, and fly back when the send back empty supply containers. Would people want to go to the moon? As I get older, I think more about comfort than I do about adventure. How many people want to go to frigid Antarctica, and travel across choppy seas where the weather isn't compatible with human life? Not that many, but perhaps enough. The same could go for the moon.

Plus, my memory kind of sucks compared to what it used to be. I am sure there are fifteen steps to get on a space suit before going outside. I can barely remember my phone and poop bags for the dog when I leave the house for a walk. Will I remember to check my oxygen tanks levels, or would I say "Screw it--I don't want to die" and stay inside? What else would we do there besides go outside, look at rocks and have the experience humanity for millennia have dreamed about? Think about the ancient Greeks, dreaming of going to the moon while sitting on a beach, eating olives and figs. Would they really go if they knew it was so gray when they were used to the azure seas? Would there be wifi on the moon? Or would they put the tourists to work, making them move stuff around or help with experiments?

Perhaps the moon could become earth's garbage dump, or would it not have enough gravity to hold our trash down? Would old hamburger wrappers drift off and become space debris? What about sending food scraps there? Would that organic material compost? My guess is that it wouldn't unless it were given oxygen, water and heat. We could practice all of this stuff on the moon before going to Mars.

What would happen if we really colonized the moon or Mars? Would they have their own economy? What would they do for money or jobs, other than try to stay alive? What kind of society and laws would they have? Would new rules and norms develop?

What is the plus side of the project? Realizing dreams. I've had dreams at times that I am traveling to Saturn and Jupiter. The Boy would be a young man by the 2030's. I am sure it would be exceptionally cool to work on that project, and project that humans have been dreaming about since they first looked at the night sky and saw planets.

While my son works on the Mars project, maybe I'll go to Greece.