Mike Pence has said it is not a question of if, but when the first crews circle the moon in the Lunar Orbit Platform-Gateway MA and F Collection 2018/Alamy
Before last weekend’s Mars Society convention, a reporter asked me what I thought of the Trump administration’s plan to send astronauts to the moon. No doubt he expected me to explain why the Red Planet is a much more suitable goal, but I told him this was about more than the moon versus Mars. I am certainly prepared to make the case for prioritising the Red Planet though.
Mars was once …
![Small dome in the Compton-Belkovich region (61.33 ?N, 99.68 ?E). Evidence indicates a volcanic origin for this and other intriguing features in the region. Incidence angle is 64?, Sun is from the SSW, image is ~510 m across. NAC image number M139238146L [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].](https://images.newscientistbeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/07172644/SEI_163208069.jpg)
