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hawkwings t1_j25cggq wrote

Reply to comment by TheAserghui in Lunar Gateway for Dummies? by Significant_Youth_73

Lower escape velocity is not the same as cheaper. Is steel on the moon the same price as steel on Earth? Is fuel on the moon the same price as fuel on Earth? If resources on the moon are more expensive than resources on the Earth, it might be cheaper to launch from Earth. If your main goal is cheaper, then we should wait until we have cheap resources on the moon before working on LG.

It is possible to mine things on the moon, build things on the moon and leave those things on the moon. I'm not sure what the Lunar Gateway gets you. Supplies can be sent to the moon on one-way spaceships. People flying to the moon will be in a hurry. If docking slows them down, that could be a problem, because that means more radiation and more life-support resources.

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TheAserghui t1_j25kk4p wrote

Its cheaper to manufacture space based structures and needs in space/on low gravity enviroments, because its not about money its about the energy costs.

Try running with a 20 kg vest and also with a 50 kg vest. One is easier.

There is a reason manufacturing happened in the European colonies: it was cheaper to develop self-suficency instead of waiting for transport ships to provided raw materials or finished products.

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hawkwings t1_j26m5ry wrote

On Earth, the new world environment is very similar to the old world environment which is why there are so many invasive species. You can't release pigs and horses on the moon and expect them to survive. The industrial revolution occurred more than a century after much of the new world was colonized.

Not launching from the moon is cheaper than launching from the moon. In the early days of resource extraction, it may be better to use those resources on the moon instead of launching them. LG wouldn't be useful until we have more resources than we need on the moon.

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TheAserghui t1_j26mgcn wrote

Yes, but the LG will most likely start out as a simple way-station between Earth and the Moon

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