• ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.mlOP
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    1 year ago

    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.

    • Bloops
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      1 year ago

      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.

      • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.mlOP
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        1 year ago

        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.