Welcome to 1969

You can't beat a bit of nostalgia;

Nasa plans return to Moon by 2020
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4261522.stm

is this only because the chinese want to get there also ?
I dont think the US could live with a communiust moon :lol:

Judging by the amount of news coverage on this, it has already failed to capture the public imagination((((

To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me if a privately funded mission reaches the moon before them.

At least the NASA astronauts would have a lunar B&B to stay in when they drop in.

Looking at the description on the news, its seems like an unimaginative copy of the apollo setup.
Same kind of lander etc...
but IF it actually hapens, it would be exciting.

Republicans in Congress are already trying to kill funding for the lunar program - given the financial squeeze over here with the Iraq war and the post-Katrina clean up, I think the lunar return plans are already dead in the water. It's more like 1970 than 1969, in terms of funding being yanked.