Rumours have it that the Trump administration is about to flick the switch to Mars, bypassing the Moon as the next best settlement option. NASA has seen a critical change of personnel in recent days which suggest that something is afoot. But the science suggest that a move from the Moon to Mars will end in failure or disaster.

By every metric, the Moon is a simpler settlement option. I do not mean mass settlement, but rather the establishment of Moon bases for research, the latter of which will give us more information about pioneering further afield. The Moon is very close, we have been there before, has water ice and is in range if a rescue or resupply operation is needed.

Mars is a long way away, requires 8 or 9 months to reach at the best possible window and is simply too far for rescue or emergency resupply. Getting there requires exposure to radiation and isolation for months on end. The atmosphere is deadly, the soil poisonous and the weather subject to massive dust storms.

The only thing getting in the way of human settlement on the Moon is the massive egos of tech bros and their mates in politics. But it is profitable to explore Mars into the future robotically until such a time as the technology (rocket propulsion and so forth) makes it a plausible option for spending timeon.