Taking another look at "The Once and Future MOON" by Paul D. Spudis. It was written back in 1996. This was after the Clementine mission to the Moon in 1994 and before Lunar Prospector went there in 1998.

ESA's SMART-1 won't be launched until 27 September 2003 and doesn't arrive in orbit until 15 November 2004. Japan has yet to launch LUNAR-A which has been postponed several times.
http://www.spacetoday.org/Japan/Japan/Moon.html
http://spaceinfo.jaxa.jp/note/tansa/e/tan_9808_lunar-a_e.html

Needless to say, Paul was not happy about the lack of missions to the Moon.
President George Bush Sr. had had a plan to go back to the Moon that was never funded.

Now President George Bush Jr. has a plan again to go the Moon, Mars, and Beyond. Will it really happen?

There is a short bio on Paul Spudis on the back cover of the book. It says, "Paul D. Spudis is a geologist and staff scientist with the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. He was deputy leader of the science team for the Clementine mission and has served on numerous advisory committees, including a White House panel on the feasibility of establishing a base on the Moon."
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lpi/spudis/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/26/AR2005122600648.html
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/moonbase_science_040113-1.html
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=12407

Chapter 8 is titled, "A Return to the Moon". In chapter 9 there is a discussion about "Why?" and four reasons to Return are discussed.
A NATURAL LABORATORY FOR PLANETARY SCIENCE
A PLATFORM TO OBSERVE THE UNIVERSE
A SOURCE OF MATERIALS AND ENERGY FOR USE IN SPACE AND ON EARTH
A PLACE TO LEARN TO LIVE AND WORK IN SPACE

Chapter 10 is "How? Steps n the Exploration and Use of the Moon", and Chapter 11 is "When? What's Holding Us Back?"

It was interesting to see what Paul Spudis thought should happen even if it hadn't yet. Missions have slipped but the time now seems receptive to looking up with the thought that we may yet go back with humans.
- LRK -

With this in mind, take a look at the earlier chapter titles.
1 To Study the Moon
2 The World of the Moon
3 The Exploration of the Moon
4 A Fall of Moon dust: The Regolith
5 The Fire Inside: Volcanism and Tectonism in the Maria
6 The Terrae: Formation and Evolution of the Crust
7 Whence the Moon?

There is a lot of information here that will help in understanding where we are going and what we might expect to find.
http://www.amazon.com/FUTURE-Smithsonian-Library-Solar-System/dp/1560988479/

I am going to copy a review below from Amazon.com by Roger D. Launius because I think it speaks to what Paul is trying to tell us
- It IS TIME to go back to the Moon.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
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Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/1560988479/
Superb Discussion of the Moon's Origins, Exploration, and Reasons for Returning There, May 8, 2006
Reviewer: Roger D. Launius "Roger D. Launius" (Washington, D.C.,
United States) - See all my reviews
("REAL NAME")

No one has been a more eloquent spokesperson for a return to the Moon than lunar scientist Paul Spudis, currently on the staff of the Applied Physics Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University. This book is both a breathless survey of the history of lunar exploration, using both robotic spacecraft and the astronauts of Apollo, as well as an eloquent statement of rationales for renewed involvement with the Moon.

In his first part Spudis concentrates on describing the Moon and what humans know about it. As a geologist he focuses on the landforms of the Moon, systematically working through discussions of the regolith, volcanism, tectonic actions, impacts and the creation of the lunar face. In this context he discusses in some detail the origins of the Moon, a subject of perennial debate in scientific circles. While still contested, Spudis notes that detailed information from the Apollo exploration of the Moon pointed toward an impact theory--which suggests that the Earth collided with a very large object (as big as Mars or more)--and that the Moon formed from the ejected material. This "big whack" theory explained well what was learned about the geology and selenogony of the Moon during the Apollo program. While there are still details to be worked out, the impact theory is now widely accepted. In the end, Spudis believes that only further research will be able to resolve this question.

The heart of "The Once and Future Moon," however, is Spudis's erudite and impassioned plea for a return to the Moon after more than a generation, the manner in which it might be accomplished, and the scientific activities that might take place there. He offers many reasons for undertaking a renewed lunar exploration program. The rationales include everything from scientific exploration of the Moon, essentially completing the task begun by earlier efforts, as well as developing the resources of the Moon for human use, and engaging in other lunar activities such as astronomy from its surface.

This is a very fine book. Now a decade old, it is time for a new edition of the work, discussing the debate over the possibilities of ice on the lunar poles, and NASA's plans for returning to our nearest neighbor in the solar system. I hope Spudis will undertake this revision in the near term. Until then, I highly recommend this work as an outstanding explanation of the Moon and its place in the human existence.

Snip
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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