No doubt, most Americans were pleased with the emotional and uplifting comments of the Artemis II astronauts after they safely returned to Earth. But the U.S. Government and American corporations did not spend billions of dollars for those platitudes or for more images of our Blue Planet from space.
As some commentators admitted on TV, establishing sites to recover valuable minerals from our natural satellite is the ultimate goal and we must out-compete China and Russia for choice locations. In other words, real estate on the Moon will become increasingly important and contentious.
One would hope that governments have learned the value of international cooperation from our experience with the Space Station. Having drawn our lines on Earth, it would be rewarding for humans to openly share the gifts that our Moon has to offer.
