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piggyboy2005 t1_ixx52rb wrote

Reply to comment by sonoma95436 in NASA’s Orion capsule captures gorgeous close-up pictures of the moon by Miguenzo

>You would need to send fuel to lunar orbit or the surface to launch from there. It takes fuel to get it there.

Not if you make the fuel with lunar water.

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>The cheapest mission is direct from Earth's surface but limits payload to mars.

I mean, if you send less payload, it's going to be cheaper. ROI of a moon base would be pretty awful if you sent a normal sized ship or only one ship, rather than a giant ship or a fleet of ships.

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>The most effective all around mission is to refuel in earth orbit and go straight to mars.

That's kind of what I'm saying, but I would source the fuel (and more) from the moon rather than earth, and it would be in high earth orbit or earth-moon L5(or L4)

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