I honestly don’t care which Earthian nation achieves this much-needed milestone for the future, of first 21st century foray into deep space. If China sends its spacemen Moonward, to test out a new set of cis-lunar vehicles, in anticipation of a near-term landing, that’d be just fine with me! Because such a grand here-&-now feat, would inevitably stir up feelings of competition & envy, here in America, and an international space technology rivalry could definitely be a GOOD thing! It seems that the United States always stagnates in space, as long as the other space-faring countries do nothing more than the bland & dull LEO stuff. Humanity has been trapped in LEO for the entire span of time that I have been alive! Can the U.S. or China finally make an escape from the dreg-filled wastes of Low Earth Orbit?——-which during the Apollo years, was merely the beginning of the journey, not the end of it. May one of the big space-faring countries eventually see the technological wisdom of grappling with a Moonbase program, in the close future!

Your efforts, Dr. Spudis, and others in the aerospace and space sciences community should help to create a positive atmosphere for a permanent lunar return so that Congress and the Executive branch in 2017 can make the right decision in this matter for NASA’s near term future.

Marcel

Not a surprise for those of us who read this website regularly, but a great readable primer for new arrivals to the concept.

Here is hoping it gets the widespread attention it deserves (especially among potential decision makers).

Good luck with the publicity tour.

We really need this idea to get out to the public and educate them.

Good luck on the NPR program!