QUESTION:
Why don't we colonize the moon as a half-way point to Mars?

ANSWER from Jack Farmer on July 17, 1997:
Many believe that is exactly the way we will proceed, and it makes a lot of
sense given the comparative closeness of the moon and the easier task
creating a permanent base there.  Clearly we need to develop our skills
working and living in space before we go to Mars. We can do some of that in
orbit by taking advantage of the International Space Station. But we also
need experience working on actual planetary surfaces under reduced gravity.
The moon seems to me to be an excellent place to do that, and I am a strong
proponent of a sustained human presence on the moon early in the next
century. One thing that will make that easier is if we can find water on the
Moon. The Lunar Prospector Mission which will be launched soon, will help us
find out about water on the moon and perhaps pave the way for a human
presence there.