“So given that there is a fair amount of work and expense involved in rebuilding that capacity, the reason we haven’t been back is that nobody has wanted to write those multi-billion dollar checks.”
Riiiiggghhhtt. Politicians not wanting to write multi billion dollar checks? Since when?? Billions more could be profited just by returning there even just one more time. What politician wouldn’t want to have their name attached to such a magnificent, inspiring project like that? And this time the astronauts could call the president via Zoom or Skype. It might not be as unbelievably crystal clear and perfect as the phone call to Nixon was from the moon to the White House 50 years ago but, hey, we can try!
How?
I'm old enough to remember Apollo, and old enough to remember that people were losing interest in it even after only 3 landings. I think it's too bad Congress killed the project when they did; they should have funded it to land in the Tycho crater and land, if only once, on the far side. (The first mission was planned, the second wasn't.)
Also, I remember a certain Democrat constituency being very ticked off about the whole enterprise.
Politicians prefer to pay the off their give me dat folks instead of fund science all the damn time. Refer to the Superconductor that was supposed to be built in Texas. demonrats killed that off.
Moon rovers do not vote.