From what I was reading, the long term goal is to make a colony. If we could make a colony on the moon that opens up a lot of possibilities. Especially, if it can be made largely self sufficient using local resources. It could also be a launchpad for exploring the rest of the solar system. You could build a space elevator on the moon much easier than on Earth for example, you can use nuclear energy without worrying about environmental pollution, etc. All of that is obviously far in the future, but you have to start somewhere.
You could make a space elevator easier that’s true. But due to the low gravity and lack of an atmosphere, you see mass drivers suggested more often. They’re also much simpler.
Mass drivers are definitely simpler and will almost certainly get built first, but they don’t quite fill the same role because space elevator allows for docking in orbit.
What are the advantages of a manner mission vs an unmanned one? Other than prestige, I can think of very few pros vs plentiful cons
Humans can do a lot of things that robots can’t yet
From what I was reading, the long term goal is to make a colony. If we could make a colony on the moon that opens up a lot of possibilities. Especially, if it can be made largely self sufficient using local resources. It could also be a launchpad for exploring the rest of the solar system. You could build a space elevator on the moon much easier than on Earth for example, you can use nuclear energy without worrying about environmental pollution, etc. All of that is obviously far in the future, but you have to start somewhere.
You could make a space elevator easier that’s true. But due to the low gravity and lack of an atmosphere, you see mass drivers suggested more often. They’re also much simpler.
Mass drivers are definitely simpler and will almost certainly get built first, but they don’t quite fill the same role because space elevator allows for docking in orbit.
Oh true but orbital rings are the sexiest option of course. Less necessary for the moon than the Earth though.
now there’s a megaproject :)