Abstract
While most would agree that eventually, humans will create permanent civilizations on the Moon and Mars; the real question is how and when will this occur. What will trigger a sustained effort to return to the Moon (first) and then to Mars? What financing approaches are needed in order to attract investors? This paper will briefly outline both the technologies and resources we will look for upon a return to the Moon, as well as a possible way to jump-start the financial support needed to accomplish this adventure. An overview is provided of the essential issues facing those who view lunar development as a desirable goal. There is general agreement that in order for lunar development to begin, there must be a capitalist component of interest. By this is implied the existence of aspects in the lunar development that would attract investor interest. There are two reasons for this. The first is that governments do not have excess funds. Instead, cutting budgets and downsizing are the primary concerns. The second and more important reason is that there is little public support for Space in general, that is, for large monetary expenditures. While most people, including even a few elected officials, understand the importance of national efforts in Space, national spans of attention tend to be short. Therefore, since Space requires a long time frame, it cannot retain the attention of citizen or government, and it has a difficult time attracting investor financing. A new paradigm is needed for the further development of Space, in general, and the Moon, in particular. It is proposed to deconstruct such a long-term project into independently financeable units that have dual use potential. This essay proposes such a framework and suggests from where the likely economic returns will come. This approach does not appear to have been suggested by others.