Plenty Left to Explore on the Moon

My fellow Apollo astronaut and lunar module pilot, Buzz Aldrin, favors Mars over the moon ["Time to Boldly Go Once More," op-ed, July 16]. His vision for space policy, however, requires clear thinking instead of just "bold thinking," and Mr. Aldrin missed on several points.

The moon is hardly a "dead end." If that were true, China and other countries would not be so interested. Rather than being "a poor location for homesteading," the moon is ideal for that purpose. Its soils provide resources necessary to support settlements, including an economic base of exports of helium-3 as a potential fusion fuel.

The fact that the "moon is a lifeless, barren world" means that it is the only place with a scientific record of the early history of the solar system.

Returning to the moon gives the fastest path to Mars. Without lunar water resources, radiation protection may not be feasible. Without lunar operational experience, risk on early Martian flights greatly increases.

Without lunar oxygen and water, payloads to Mars may be prohibitively large. Without lunar rocket fuel resources, we might not be able to even land on Mars.

Mr. Aldrin stands correct on one thing: Geologists need to be aboard the first flights to Mars.

HARRISON H. SCHMITT

Director

Orbital Sciences Corp.

Albuquerque

The writer was a U.S. senator from New Mexico from 1977 to 1983 and was the last man to set foot on the moon as Apollo 17's geologist.