[ambrose]

There aren't lunar bases because our mission was essentially a "beat the Russians" joy ride. Send a man to the moon and return him safely. We now have a much broader mission to establish a base, harvest the moons resources, go to Mars and then beyond. You may be happy letting China control the Moon and Mars, but I sure as hell am not.

[Travis McGee]

We now have a much broader mission to establish a base, harvest the moons resources,

Great! If it will pay, it will be no problem for private backers to create the Lunar Mining Company on the model of the East India or Hudson Bay Company.

But a hundred billion to gather more moon rocks on the public taxpayer? I don't think so.