The only practical way is a NASA/Russian/ESA collaboration. The ISS is an incredible achievement, certainly impossible by any of those three alone. A moon base is technically an easier feat once a Saturn V style series of rockets is designed and built. Which NASA is in fact now doing. With ESA and Russian support, a moon base is totally realistic. The moon is rich with Helium-3, which could be an important resource in the distant future.
Also, just to say I favour lunar exploration over Martian exploration at present. Priorities should be actually proving we can build bases on extra terrestrial bodies, live there, and make them semi-self sufficient with a view to becoming fully self sufficient. We need a significant non-Earth population in the distant future if we want to avoid going the way of the dinosaurs at some point in the next few hundred, thousand or millions of years. Mars can be explored sure, but for the distance and cost, you gain little. An atmosphere is good for protection, but bad for weather. Protection can be provided by shielding on the moon. And you sure ain't going to terraform either of them, so why not stick locally. Moon should be a priority.
Log in to comment