I was one that thought going back to the moon was a waste of funds and would have preferred to focus on Mars. But this is a stepping stone, to learn from it and apply it to future (Mars) missions which makes perfect sense (e.g. prototyping before a build).
China has already reached the moon and have said they want to send rover to Mars. Sooner or later, there's going to be a first manned mission to Mars and I prefer it to be the US.
However, unlike the 60's to 90's, there are now viable private sector companies that can help or augment NASA, and it would be great if they can be leveraged.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/13/tech/...mis/index.html
Quote:
NASA has touted its bold plan to return American astronauts to the moon by 2024 for months. Now we're starting to get an idea of how much it will cost.
The space agency will need an estimated $20 billion to $30 billion over the next five years for its moon project, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told CNN Business on Thursday. That would mean adding another $4 billion to $6 billion per year, on average, to the agency's budget, which is already expected to be about $20 billion annually.
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NASA wants that mission to include two astronauts: A man and the first-ever woman to walk on the moon.
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The overall goal of the Artemis program is to establish a "sustainable" presence on the moon, paving the way for astronauts to return to the surface again and again. Learning to live and work on another world, Bridenstine said, will prepare them for NASA's long-term mission: to put people on Mars for the first time in human history.
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