Quote:
Originally Posted by Papa_Complex
Going to the moon is economically viable. It simply isn't economically viable BY ITSELF. If manned exploration of space is to continue, then the moon is the best place to launch from. Gravity is 1/8 of Earth's, so the amount of thrust necessary for launch is smaller. There is some gravity, which makes logistics more simple. It's a solid base making construction and maintenance easier than with a satellite, like the ISS. It has the potential to produce many, if not all of the raw materials needed in order to construct the necessary craft.
Getting back there just makes too much sense NOT to go.
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We aren't going any deeper in to space anytime soon. That being the case, why take the risk and spend the money to set up the logistics required for something we have no plan of currently pursuing?
Maybe someday we will set up a base capable of building vehicles on the moon but I doubt I will see it in my lifetime. It is difficult enough on earth, in an oxygen environment, with hundreds to thousands of people working on it, to safely build an extremely complex spacecraft. Just supporting the number of people required on the moon for a project of this scale with oxygen, water, and food would require an exponential increase in the space program. Building and supporting a manufacturing facility would require investment of a scale never seen before.