What next?
Andrew Chaikin
“The first stop? Even space advocates can’t agree. Some say that going back to the moon will never excite the public, and that it’s a distraction from the real destination, Mars. Others insist a lunar return is essential for learning how to live off-planet, and could allow development of resources for use in space and on an increasingly energy-hungry Earth.
“To me, it’s a pointless argument. Both the moon and Mars are spectacular worlds with enormous potential. I do think NASA’s plan for a base at the lunar south pole sounds dangerously close to a rerun of the space station money-pit debacle, and I don’t want to see us so bogged down on the moon that we can’t go farther into the solar system. If the road to Mars leads through the moon, then we must travel that road not just as builders, but also as explorers. For now, I would be happy just to see us get back to where we were 40 years ago: reaching beyond our limits, making discoveries, going somewhere.”
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