[FPSPACE] Aviation Week: Moon Stuck

[Anatoly Zak]

I guess this one of those "I told you so" moments :)

 
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0801/18avweek/


"It's becoming painfully obvious that the Moon is not a stepping-stone for
manned Mars operations but is instead a stumbling block," says Robert
Farquhar, a veteran of planning and operating planetary and deep-space
missions.

"It just does not feel right. And there's growing belief that, at high cost,
it offers minimal engineering benefit for later manned Mars operations."




Those who's been on FPSPACE long enough might remember our little
discussion, days after VSE was announced:


http://www.russianspaceweb.com/op-ed_2004_bush_plan.html

"All the tasks of testing and assembling hardware for Mars exploration could
be accomplished cheaper and faster onboard the Earth-orbiting space station.
The construction of the lunar base for the sole purpose of establishing
rocket-fueling stations and Mars training facilities advocated by the
administration is truly ludicrous." (published Jan. 30, 2004)