Astronauts could be back on the moon within ten years and the United States may join rivals to establish a permanent human presence there.
White House officials are considering a “rapid and affordable” return to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo missions ended in 1972. They are looking at partnerships with the private sector and other international space agencies to accelerate space exploration and exploitation.
“I think the days of unilateral Apollo-like missions are gone,” John Logsdon, founder of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, said. “The deletion of the moon as a destination by President Obama was basically political, so putting the moon back in play when most of the other spacefaring countries see it as the first
