The Moon as a Testbed for Mars

Using the Moon as a proving ground in preparation for humans on Mars may be the most fundamental purpose for long-lasting infrastructure and routine logistics on the lunar surface. Operationalized by a lunar base, the initial earth-dependent living would be replaced over time as earth-independent technologies for living off the land take root by successful demonstrations and trusted infusion into mainstream operations with and without crew involvement. Even so, additional adjustments will be necessary to compensate for the years-long mission durations that Mars poses on aerospace systems that will require spares and replacement during a single round-trip mission and on the astronaut crews that will train on the moon before proceeding on to Mars and back. The Moon poses a huge opportunity to learn, and to implement lessons learned, while reducing the risk posture and consequences for unforeseen problems, compared to experiencing them for the first time during a human-Mars mission. As the resources on the Moon substantially differ from the vast resources available on Mars, the technologies to sustain a lunar base may also differ greatly from the technologies to sustain the level of earth-independence required on Mars for human habitation. The purpose of this chapter is to identify the ways that the Moon may prepare humanity for settling on the red planet.