
NASA’s Next Horizon in Space - jeo1234
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/25/science/space/nasa-next-mission.html
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rbanffy
The Moon is nearby (which means if something goes wrong we can actually send a
rescue mission rather than recording farewell messages), has a low gravity
that makes launching stuff easy, no atmosphere (may be useful for metallurgy),
abundant solar energy and probably some ice. It is a great stepping stone for
the rest of the solar system. It is true it's harder to reach than Mars
(because you can't do atmospheric braking) but it's a much shorter trip.

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kjs3
The idea we wouldn't build a logistics infrastructure and testing environment
on the moon for any longer range venture is insane. Lack of aerobraking at the
moon is _more_ than offset by the fact that you don't have to accelerate to
ludicrous speed to reach Mars in a reasonable amount of time; it's a softball
pitch, energy wise. Landing people on the moon is "been there, done that"; on
Mars it's all theory and speculation.

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rbanffy
Mars is sexy, Moon is practical.

