Colonization of the inner Solar System ESA "Moon Village" concepts. Colonization of the inner Solar System Bodies in the inner Solar System have been considered for terraforming and space colonization. The main candidates for colonization in the inner Solar System are Mars and Venus. Other possible candidates for colonization include the Moon and even Mercury. The short distance between the Earth and the Moon makes it a natural expansion after Earth. A number of government space agencies have periodically floated lunar plans such as Russia (2014), China (2012) and the US have made plans in constructing the first lunar outpost. The European Space Agency (ESA) head
Water on terrestrial planets of the Solar System Water on terrestrial planets of the Solar System The origin and development of water on terrestrial planets, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the closely related Earth's Moon, varies with each planetary body, with the exact origins remaining unclear. Additionally, the terrestrial dwarf planet, Ceres is known to have water ice on its surface. A significant amount of surface hydrogen has been observed globally by the Mars Odyssey GRS. Stoichiometrically estimated water mass fractions indicate that—when free of carbon dioxide—the near surface at the poles consists almost entirely of water covered by a thin veneer of fine material. This is reinforced by