| Quality |
Luna |
Mars
|
| Atmosphere |
vacuum |
0.1 psi Carbondioxide
|
| Advantages |
no barrier to high speed travel __ allows use of structural materials incompatible with oxygen and water __ no barier to observations __ no wind born dust __ no requirement for structures to withstand weather |
convenient source of carbon & oxygen __ allows use of aerobraking and other aerodynamic effects __ protects against staticly levitated dust and most meteors
|
| Disadvantages |
leads to dewetting of lubricated surfaces __ can not be breathed by people or internal combustion engines __ requires space suit protection of people __ requires pressure chambers for industrial processing involving most liquids __ requires pressure chambers for industrial collection of gas __ no protection against micrometeoroids or staticly levitated dust |
can not be breathed by people or internal combustion engines __ requires about the same suit protection of people as a vacuum __ requires pressure chambers for industrial processing involving most liquids __ blows dust storms __ interferes with observations __ requires structural considerations to deal with weather __ does not permit electrical acceleration to orbital velocity
|
| Gravity |
1.62 meters per second squared |
3.66 meters per second squared
|
| Advantages |
lower loading on structures to resist gravity than on Mars __ 04.7% of energy needed to orbit Earth can get to lunar orbit |
lower loading on structures to resist gravity than on Earth __ 20% of energy needed to orbit Earth can get to Mars orbit
|
| Disadvantages |
lunar gravity may be insufficient to maintain human health __ low gravity causes problems with low traction for construction work |
Mars gravity may be insufficient to maintain human health __ low gravity causes problems with low traction for construction work
|
| Round Trip Communications Delay |
2.56 seconds |
about 23 minutes average, about 540 times the delay for Luna
|
