This summer, a study was done showing how to accelerate reaching Mars — and really, doing anything else in space, including eventual colonization — by developing the Moon, far more cheaply and sustainably than previous proposals. This is done by relying heavily on modern commercial services.
This summary at Next Big Future is a good introduction. The full study is available here.
![[Image: threephasemoon.png]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wlUkzirlO7I/Va4XnRK0dOI/AAAAAAABASg/xYuLfuHYKr8/s640/threephasemoon.png)
This is really important. It's the most sensible proposal to develop space that I've seen in, well, ever (and I've been watching this stuff for three decades). It is not just a mission, or even a series of missions; it is a proposal to build real infrastructure. Every step makes subsequent work in space easier and cheaper.
And, as it happens, it could also get us back on the Moon while the next President is still in office. All without increasing NASA's human spaceflight budget.
I'm told by those in the know that this is receiving a lot of attention on Capital Hill. A recent standing-room-only briefing was attended by over 100 congressional staffers.
We need to spend the next year making as much noise as possible about this, so that it becomes part of the public conversation. It should be an easy plan for the next President to endorse, but they won't even notice it unless people are demanding it.
This plan, or something like it, could shake off public (and congressional) apathy, and get us reaching for the stars again!
This summary at Next Big Future is a good introduction. The full study is available here.
This is really important. It's the most sensible proposal to develop space that I've seen in, well, ever (and I've been watching this stuff for three decades). It is not just a mission, or even a series of missions; it is a proposal to build real infrastructure. Every step makes subsequent work in space easier and cheaper.
And, as it happens, it could also get us back on the Moon while the next President is still in office. All without increasing NASA's human spaceflight budget.
I'm told by those in the know that this is receiving a lot of attention on Capital Hill. A recent standing-room-only briefing was attended by over 100 congressional staffers.
We need to spend the next year making as much noise as possible about this, so that it becomes part of the public conversation. It should be an easy plan for the next President to endorse, but they won't even notice it unless people are demanding it.
This plan, or something like it, could shake off public (and congressional) apathy, and get us reaching for the stars again!
Joe Strout
Lead Developer, High Frontier