Para vs. "a" and the astronauts

Question

I've studied "search" and got good explanations of para vs. por, but not for para vs. "a".

I have a book that translates "The astronauts go to the moon." as "Los astronautas van para la luna."

Doesn't it translate the same way if we say "Los astronautas van a la luna"? Is there some kind of subtle difference?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi:

Ir a... expresses the movement, the direction, the "going to"

Ir para... expresses the intention, the purpose.

Ir por... refers to going to fetch something.

Esamples.

They go to the moon (they are on their way) = Ellos van a la luna.

They go to conquer (discover) the moon = Ellos van para la luna.

Nice :) - Kiwi-Girl, Mar 16, 2014

Answer 2

Para works there too. A is more common. My understanding is that "ir para" is more like "heading towards" - the moon is the destination where they are going.

I could be wrong, but I feel like I've heard it this way. - jeezzle, Jan 7, 2012

Your understanding is perfect - 005faa61, Jan 8, 2012

Answer 3

When going to places, use "a" because it means "to" or "at" when referred to in that way.

So yes, "Los astronautas van a la luna."

Answer 4

This is from a duolingo member that was in regards to the translation of "It is going to be a night to remember", which is " Va a ser una noche para recordar", that I think also helps to provide some clarification:

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"a" and "de" are "to" and "from" with a sense of motion through space or time. "De" is about origins, and "a" is about destinations, if that makes sense.

In this case, we're talking about the purpose of the night, so the preposition we want is "para", which is "for" in the sense of "this hammer is for hitting nails". "This is a night for remembering."