Luna and Mars Characteristics

Luna's and Mars' Characteristics

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 electrostaticly 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 electrostaticly 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