Space Colonization? Anyone?

Tumlinson provides a great read for any space nutso (like myself).
The president has said we should go back to the Moon and on to Mars, this time to stay. Of course from his mouth to the ears of NASA is a journey far greater than the distance to the Moon.

Already, the concept of permanence has been redefined by those who are mono-maniacally focused on the end point of Mars. They have jettisoned lunar development, instead opting for touch-and-go missions to the Moon on the way to a grand-flags-and-footprints mission to Mars. They prefer Apollo redux rather than the careful build up of an Earth-Moon infrastructure that can teach us how to go and live anywhere in space forever.

That's about where I come from to. There is no point in having an Apollo sequel. I have no interest in sending a man to Mars so he can plant a flag in the ground, pat himself on the back, and never go back.

The real goal should be a permanent presence in space, which requires something more than just science experiments in lab modules. It's about real people in space for colonization purposes - or at least it should be. That requires NASA to think about the exploitation and the industrialization of space resources.

Somehow I doubt NASA will ever get on board that bandwagon.

Tip o' the hat to Transterrestrial.

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