Tech Watch

When Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt blasted off from the surface of the moon on the evening of Dec. 14, 1972, very few people believed it would be NASA's last manned moon mission for 47 years – and counting.

But ever since, the American manned space program has been very much focused on working and exploring in Earth's orbit.

Now, America's human spaceflight plans have been kicked back into high gear.

Later this month, on May 27, American astronauts are slated to launch from American soil aboard an American vehicle for the first time since the Space Shuttle retired back in 2011. In fact, the "Crew Dragon/Falcon 9" mission is a true joint government-commercial venture between Elon Musk's SpaceX and NASA.

And in 2021, Boeing Co. plans a crewed launch of its new CST-100 "Starliner" crew capsule.

One of the chief aims of these projects is a return to the moon.

The Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s were capably assisted by American private enterprise, but they were essentially muscle-flexing demonstrations of American missile and materials technology, shot squarely across the Soviet Union's bow.

But these new 21st century missions have a decidedly commercial purpose.

Now, Trump's overwhelming preference for American space dominance is on the record. And so it surprised no one when the president recently signed an executive order to allow the United States to begin mining water and other natural resources… on the moon.

See, far from being dull, empty rocks, the moon and even the asteroid belt are proven to be absolutely packed with extremely valuable natural resources.

There's water, strategic metals, minerals, and even precious metals like gold and platinum – wealth beyond measure – "out there" for the taking.

And now the word is out, and the new, commercial "Space Race" is on. Many companies will play a role, but the one I'm thinking of – one that's already doubled our money – will be a real linchpin in this new era…Full Story