NASA to Set Up Polar Moon Camp

My only regret is that we’ll have to wait until 2024 to see this (almost 20 years!):

NASA Says It Will Set Up Polar Moon Camp

“NASA announced Monday it will establish an international base camp on one of the moon’s poles, permanently staffing it by 2024, four years after astronauts return to the moon. It is a sweeping departure from the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and represents a new phase of space exploration after space shuttles are retired in 2010.

NASA chose a “lunar outpost” over the short expeditions of the ’60s. Apollo flights were all around the center of the moon, but NASA decided to go to the moon’s poles because they are best for longer-term settlements. And this time NASA is welcoming other nations on its journey.”

Below: This painting was used as a visual at an April 1988 Houston-hosted conference titled “Lunar Bases and Space Strategies of the 21st Century.”