On the face of it I think it’s very exciting stuff. Private companies and privately funded groups are competing for big bucks to build a robot and have it launched to the moon. If it gets there and works there’s a tremendous amount of prize money available.

I’m all for getting to the moon and developing ways to successfully live their, as I believe we will and as I explored in my book The Charon Covenant.

The problem I have with this is the feeling that it’s a bit wasteful. The question arises; do we really need more space junk on the moon? What is the long term benefit of this? Once the robots are there and complete their basic program, aren’t they just space junk with no long term benefit?

I wish I could get behind this idea, but I think it creates waste here on Earth as they use resources and undoubtedly create waste, let alone what pollution is caused from a rocket launch, let alone multiple launches for these competitors.

At least with NASA’s programs the big businesses involved will and have developed many off-shoot programs and benefits to the advancement of all areas of science that help man-kind and have a serious purpose. Perhaps discovering we can create oxygen and water from rocks on the moon substantial enough to sustain humans isn’t the most valuable use of the resources either. However, all the other discoveries along the way may provide hope for discoveries that save this planet. I don’t believe this can be said by these small private groups playing at space travel on a one-shot basis.