chrisreedrules
Master Blaster
Returning to the moon is also an important goal from a national defense standpoint. After thirty + years of no manned missions to the Moon, why the sudden race for governments to return there? Even in the midst of a major war in the Middle East, governments are making a decision to return to the Moon as soon as possible. Japan, China, India, Russia, and the US have all made steps towards a manned return. The answer is simple. It is the new strategic "high ground". A nation could use the moon as a platform from which to launch weapons/project power at the earth and to control near-earth space. The weaponization of space, while frowned upon publicly, has been happening steadily since the 60's behind closed doors.