The $20 billion dollar moon base didn't seem like an announcement grounded in reality, although maybe that was less a PR stunt than the fact that NASA must (literally) shoot for the moon to stay politically relevant.

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esseph 7 hours ago | parent [-]

> The $20 billion dollar moon base didn't seem like an announcement grounded in reality

While I can't comment on the cost per say, there are both military and capitalistic reasons for the race to the moon.

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bakies 6 hours ago | parent [-]

is there?

	▲	esseph 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		- Deep space surveillance - Logistics Hub - "Get there quickly and set legal precedent" - Resource extraction (helium-3, gold, platinum, etc) - If moon dust can be converted to oxygen reliably, the first company or country to set up shop on the moon can sell that service to countries and commercial entities. - Unique manufacturing and science activities because of the low gravity - "Space Tourism"