>/tinfoil hat sarcasm and ridicule OFF<
Looks like China will be on the moon within 8 years, and NASA won't. NASA will be concentrating on developing a nuclear interplanetary shuttle, yet another White Elephant to go with its ISS International Orbiting Black Hole.
The government can build initial infrastructure, and license companies to develop resources, but this isn't happening in America. It could happen in China and Russia; England, of course, is famous for licensing commerercial companies to develop resources beyond the border.
For unknown reasons the idea of vast arrays of solar cells on the moon has become popular. Asteroid mining is the way to go as far as I know.
The nuclear interplanetary shuttle has no mission, nor will ever have a mission worth the trouble.
Yes they were. NASA billed it as mankind reaching out and leaving Earth. As it was, we went and stopped going. The nation that lost the moon.