Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Letter: Gravity trap

Published 21 February 2004

From Steve Blyth

Can anyone explain why George Bush is so keen to climb out of one deep gravity well (Earth) just to jump down another (Mars)?

It makes much more sense, if (wo)manned space exploration is the aim, to target low-mass bodies such as moons, asteroids and comets where habitation resources and fuel for (far easier) onward trips also exist. Surely the moral is, when you’re in a hole, stop digging; not, let’s dive in another! Or is this just a case of the mountaineer’s motive “Because it’s there”?

Roade, Northamptonshire, UK

Issue no. 2435 published 21 February 2004

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