It is tragic the cost benefit ratio of the space program is not visible to those myopic people who would as soon salt the birds tail to keep it grounded, then eat it.
We should have a manned post on the Moon right now, growing and mining water at the poles to prepare to move to gravity wells and asteroids in solar orbit.
We need to get the observatory up and running in the sweet spot on the Moon's dark side that will revolutionize astronomy. We need to explore those fascinating moons of Jupiter and get better information of every planet from Mercury to Pluto and her moon.
I am frustrated. Life is ferociously short, and I know I will die not seeing that which I am most curious about. The 'out there.'*SIGH*
Good luck with that. Better advice is: plan to import methane from wherever.
The Chinese are planning to set up manned bases there about ten years from now. I find it hard to believe we will sit back and just let it happen. There are serious implications for national defense if they get a nuclear powered base in operation on the lunar surface. With a powerful enough laser they could control all of cis-lunar space. This type of activity can't go unanswered. We could be forced to go back very shortly.