Before we spend millions of dollars funding manned missions to Mars, several experienced astronauts believe we should first focus on revisiting the moon.
Both NASA astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield agree that the moon is still mostly an unexplored territory and would serve as a good testing ground for deep space exploration.
Considering it's been nearly 45 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first stepped foot on the surface of the moon, Hoffman and Hadfield make a good point, especially considering that a manned mission to the moon would be relatively inexpensive, as well as involve a much shorter and safer journey. The moon is also close enough that communication from a manned space exploration mission would make it to Earth nearly immediately.
Of course, the general common attitude is that we've already visited the moon enough (six Apollo missions saw men on the surface of the moon) and that it's time to set our sights bigger: on Mars. However, Hoffman and Hadfield disagree.
"We basically just scratched the surface during Apollo, you know," says Hoffman. "Some people say, 'Oh, been there. Done that.' They just don't understand."
Hadfield went further by stating that current technology just isn't good enough for manned Mars exploration, but we've already got everything we need for a similar moon mission, including setting up a colony there.
"If we started going to Mars any time soon everybody would die," says Hadfield. "We don't know what we are doing yet. We have to have a bunch of inventions between now and Mars."
These two, however, aren't alone in their concerns about our current focus on manned missions and colonies on Mars. Even former NASA flight director George W.S. Abbey believes that we should establish a lunar base before going to Mars.
"You're not going to go to Mars before going back to the moon," says Abbey. "You need to establish a goal to go to the moon and do that first and have a program laid out for an effective way to do it, but they're not doing that right now and I think that's really key to exploration."
Instead, on its road to Mars, NASA is working on a mission that would put astronauts on the surface of an asteroid to collect samples for bringing back to Earth. But many scientists argue that this mission has nothing to do with preparing us for the journey to Mars.
However, many believe a mission to the moon makes more sense for that eventual trip to the red planet. Both planetary bodies have a lot in common with similar gravities, atmospheres and temperatures.
[Photo Credit: NASA]
