The New Republic Online: Easterbrook: "In the days to come, any administration official who says that a Moon base could support a Mars mission is revealing himself or herself to be a total science illiterate. When you hear, 'A Moon base could support a Mars mission,' substitute the words, 'I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about.' Hint to reporters: If any administration official says 'a Moon base could support a Mars mission,' quickly ask, 'What was the fuel fraction of the Lunar Excursion Module?' The answer is two-thirds. The LEM was what landed on the Moon during Apollo, and rocket propulsion has not changed much since, meaning that any future Mars spacecraft that stops at the Moon will expend two-thirds of its weight merely to land there and take off again. This renders the idea of stopping at the Moon on the way to Mars patent drivel. (Actually only about 15 percent of the descent weight of the LEM returned to lunar orbit, so the fuel-fraction calculation for a Moon stopover is even worse.)"