We should have claimed it, now set up colonies and mining and all. Instead, China and India will do it and likely limit us. These two countries should have been kept in their cesspool borders, even shoot down their space launches. But no, we’re surrendering space and the moon to them.
No offense but I’m not connecting to your sense of alarm on this. Let China build some lunar colonies and try to “limit us”. I am just not seeing what the huge loss is. It doesn’t have water (like Mars might) and I don’t even know if it has precious minerals. Does it? Help me out here. Not trying to be flippant. I’m actually asking.
The Russian lunar polar lander is due on August 21. These are firsts. No previous landings in the polar regions. Plane changes are non trivial and polar landings not done til now.