Re: Plenty of oxygen on the Moon
When deciding on where to place the location there are two factors. How much Dv it will take to get there and what resources are available. The Moon's lack of atmosphere means that the total Dv to reach either destination isn't markedly different(Areocapture and areobraking really are that valuable). There are more identified resources on Mars than the Moon. If humans have problems with values of G between 0.16% and 0.99%we expect them to be worse at lower G levels(As we have no data this is just a guess).
Historically the number of colonists who have returned to their homelands is nearly 0%. Since, at current transportation costs, there will be very little in the way of physical goods returned, the added return costs are not a major consideration.
At the end of end of the day what matters is what resources we have available, how difficult it is to utilize those resources, and who will use those resources. On the first two points, based on everything we know, Mars wins. On the third point the Moon has a slight edge. Short travel times mean that we expect tourists in addition to the colonists. So far I've not been able to find production techniques that allow the expanded customer base to make up for the higher costs of local production. For long-term growth the target we want is Mars.
If you happen to have a business model for the Moon I have yet to consider, I could be convinced going to the Moon first is worth the effort. Please be aware the export cases commonly used, fuel depots and computer chip manufacturing to name a couple, require customers and a comparative advantage that overcomes the cost which do not exist unless we are undertaking a larger project, like colonizing Mars. For now the Moon is a path to nowhere economically.
We also have to consider that virtually all of the equipment for Mars and the Moon is similar, just more robust for the longer trips required to reach Mars. Design for Mars and we end up going to the Moon as well by default. Personally I'd prefer to target a more difficult destination(Both the Moon and Mars can be expected to be water importers) but few others are willing to consider targets like Ceres.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
