Word: l1
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Sony Cyber-shot L1...
Once your Mars ship is poised in space--either hovering at Lagrange point L1 or fresh off the surface of the moon--your next worry is the matter of in-space propulsion. Speed is everything on the way to Mars, and not only because a seven-month trip in a confined space can be torturous. The bigger problem is that it can also be lethal because of radiation exposure in deep space, where the absence of Earth's magnetic field leaves astronauts far more exposed to deadly cosmic energy than they are in orbit...
...what Mars planners are really after is a stable, low-gravity place where spacecraft could be assembled and missions could begin, they might do a lot better to fly out to Lagrange point L1--a spot about 200,000 miles from Earth where the gravity of Earth and moon are in relative equilibrium. Gravitational forces essentially cancel each other out at such cosmic odd spots, making them easier to leave than the low-gravity moon and entirely eliminating the need to ease hardware down to the surface and then wrestle it back off again...