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“Towards an Earth-Moon Economy Developing Off-Planet Resources” & The Moon Society Journal & . Published monthly except January and July., by the Lunar [Opinions expressed herein, including editorials, are those Reclamation Society (NSS-Milwaukee) for its members, of individual writers and not presented as positions or members of participating National Space Society chapters, policies of the National Space Society, the Lunar Recla- members of the Moon Society, and individuals world-=wide. mation Society, or The Moon Society, whose members EDITOR: Peter Kokh, c/o LRS, PO Box 2102, Milwaukee freely hold diverse views. COPYRIGHTs remain with the WI 53201. Ph: 414-342-0705. Submissions: “MMM”, 1630 N. individual writers; except reproduction rights, with credit, 32nd Str., Milwaukee, WI 53208; Email: [email protected] are granted to NSS & Moon Society chapter newsletters.] Guest Editorial: " Why Should We Send Humans to Mars? " © 2004 by Thomas Gangale <[email protected]> becomes easier. What once were "known unknowns" In September 2003, as I prepared to leave the San become "knowns," and "unknown unknowns" become "known Francisco Bay Area to deliver a presentation at an aero- unknowns." Once we know that we don't know something, space conference in Long Beach, one of my professors in we can research the problem and master it. International Relations asked, "Why do you want to send This is not to say that it will not be a difficult, people to Mars? Is it not better to focus on robotics for dangerous, and expensive endeavor. It will be. However, at now?" this point, we are far better prepared to send humans to It is cheaper to explore with robots, but not Mars than we were to send humans to the Moon when John necessarily better. Despite the advance of technology, Kennedy made the decision to do so in 1961. At the time there remain tasks that humans can better accomplish that Kennedy issued his stirring challenge to the nation, using machines in situ than via remote presence. America had only 15 minutes of experience in human In 1969, NASA presented a plan to the Nixon spaceflight--none of it actually in orbit around the Earth-- Administration to send humans on Mars 12 years later. The yet eight years later humans walked on the Moon. In 1961, report by President Richard Nixon's Space Task Group we had not sent a single successful robotic mission to the concluded, "NASA has the demonstrated organizational Moon--much less to any planet--yet eight years later competence and technology base, by virtue of the Apollo humans walked on the Moon. In 1961, we had launch success and other achievements, to carry out a successful vehicles capable of putting only a couple of thousand program to land man on Mars within 15 years." Since that pounds into orbit around the Earth--yet eight years later time, there have been no insurmountable barriers to landing humans walked on the Moon. humans on Mars... except the societal will. With each In the 35 years that it has been feasible to launch robotic mission to Mars, with each new advance in tech- a humans to Mars program, we have chosen not to. We will nology, the technical problem of sending humans to Mars do so when the necessary social and political [ p. 2, col. 2 ] The Sand Dune Fields of Mars There would seem to be photographic indications as well as geological reasons that Mars might well have a thinner regolith (rock powder) blanket than the Moon. If we want to use regolith to shield our outposts from cosmic radiation, we may have to look for areas where wind has accumulated dunes of regolith dust. Fortunately dune fields seem to be common on Mars. See page 6. @@@@@@@@@@@ MMM #173 p. 1 - MAR 2004 @@@@@@@@@@@ ⇒ IN FOCUS Editorial continued from p. 1. Moon Miners’ Manifesto forces align, and that is something that is difficult to Moon Miners’ MANIFESTO/ Moon Soc. Journal is published predict. It could happen tomorrow, or it might not happen every month except in January and July, by the Lunar Recla- for generations. mation Society. In January and July, all members and subscri- Perhaps the desire to go to Mars can be explained bers recieve Moon Miners’ REVIEW instead. © 2004, The Lunar Reclamation Society, Inc. in part as a cultural afterimage of Lowellian Mars. • MMM is being reedited for the World Wide Web by members Victorian civilization was convinced that it was on the of the Artemis Society International. => www.asi.org/mmm verge of making "Contact." It was an age when the New • MMM’s VISION: “expanding the human economy through York Times reported Nikola Tesla's plans to send radio off-planet resources”; the early era of heavy reliance on Lunar waves to Mars and communicate with its inhabitants. As materials; earliest use of Mars system and asteroidal resources; we better acquainted ourselves with Mars in the scientific and the establishment of the permanent settlements necessary sense in the course of the 20th century, there came, as H. to support such an economy. G. Wells wrote, "the great disillusionment." We came to • MMM’s MISSION: to encourage “spin-up” entrepreneurial development of the novel technologies needed and promote the realize that in terms of sentient species, we are alone in economic-environmental rationale of space/lunar settlement. the solar system. Yet a faded echo of Lowellian Mars • MMM retains its editorial independence. MMM serves remains. We cling to the hope of a neighboring planet that several groups each with its own philosophy, agenda, and harbors, if not canals and an advanced civilization, at least programs. Participation in this newsletter, while it suggests some primitive forms of life. If Mars contains even nano- overall satisfaction with themes and treatment, requires no other bacteria--or indisputable evidence of past life of the litmus test. Any presumption that participating organizations simplest forms--this will profoundly change our conception can be labeled by indirect mutual association is unwarranted. of our place in the universe. If there is--or was--another • For the current space news and near-term developments, read Ad Astra, the magazine of the National Space Society, in Genesis here in our own solar system, then life must be which we recommend and encourage membership. common throughout the universe, and "Contact" with • The Lunar Reclamation Society is an independently incor- another civilization is therefore inevitable. porated non-profit membership organization engaged in public Do we need to send humans to Mars to discover outreach, freely associated with the National Space Society, this? No, not necessarily. It is possible that robotic insofar as LRS goals include those in NSS vision statement. missions to Mars could make such a starting discovery. But LRS serves as NSS’ Milwaukee chapter machines alone are not as capable as humans and machines => www.lunar-reclamation.org working together in situ. So, if robots do not find life on • The National Space Society is a grassroots pro-space membership organization, with over 25,000 members and 80 Mars, the question remains open, even if just a crack. chapters, dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Eventually, we humans must go to Mars ourselves to defini- The National Space Society,1620 I Street NW, Suite 615, tively satisfy our curiosity. Washington, DC 2006; Ph:(202) 429-1600; NEW As forbidding an environment as we have come to FAX: (202) 463-8497; [email protected] => www.nss.org know Mars to be in the past few decades, it is nevertheless • MMM’s desktop publication has received ongoing support the most Earth-like planet in the solar system, the most (computer hardware and software) from the Space Frontier readily accessible from Earth, and given sufficient tech- Foundation, 16 First Ave., Nyack NY 10960; 800-78-SPACE - SFF seeks to open the space frontier to human exploration and nology and infrastructure, it will be able to support human settlement as rapidly as possible. life. It is true that Mars is a far cry from our own abun- [email protected] => www.space-frontier.org dant, life-giving world. The photographs returned by the • The Moon Society is “dedicated to overcoming the business, first robotic fly-by probes in the 1960s should have erased financial, and technological challenges necessary to establish a forever the previously held romantic, softer, mental images permanent, self-sustaining human presence on the Moon.” — of Mars, but perhaps they have not erased them entirely. See contact information on page 9. Perhaps these are the true "ghosts of Mars," the spirits of • NSS chapters and Other Societies with a compatible focus our own past imaginings, and perhaps this is because we are welcome to join the MMM family. For special chapter/group want to have neighbors on another world, because we do not rates, write the Editor, or call (414)-342-0705. want to be alone. Perhaps this is because, even if we cannot • Publication Deadline: Final draft is prepared ASAP after the make "Contact" with the Other, the Alien, in our own solar 20th of each month. Articles needing to be keyed in or edited are due on the 15th, Sooner is better! - No compensation is paid. system, we do not want to be confined to this Earth. Is it worth spending tens of billions, possibly √ EMAIL to [email protected] (preferred ) hundreds of billions of dollars, to send humans to Mars? In √ Mac diskette or typed hard copy to: Moon Miners’ Manifesto, c/o Peter Kokh, considering this prospective question, it is useful to ask a 1630 N. 32nd Street, Milwaukee WI 53208-2040 retrospective one: was it worth it to send humans to the Moon? @@@@@@@@@@@ MMM #173 p.

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