Was more thinking about the transit. In mars the suggestions seem to be covering bases in regolith due to the minimal protection from the very thin atmosphere.

Note earths protection comes from a combination of atmosphere and magnetic field.

Escape velocity is contextual so depends where you are and how fast you are already going. I this case i believe they are starting from static in the surface(usually what is meant).

What it actually means is for the moon the escape velocity is the velocity change you would need from where you are to reach infinity with no excess velocity. Assuming there is nothing else in the universe.

But given they way gravity tails off escape velocity is often not meaningfully different from the velocity to leave the bodies dominant influence.

It also gives a location to test how humans fair from a longer period of time above the van allen belts given the ISS is protected from much of the radiation of deep space and going to mars will need people to survive radiation for much longer than the week previously tried.