Should we go back to the Moon or is it a terrible waste of money?

THOSE saying let’s save Earth, not fly to the Moon (Letters), ignore the compelling — some would say vital — scientific and technological arguments. If climate change is man-made, then we surely need to develop renewable energy sources that do not depend on fossil fuels. If climate change is not due to human activity, then we need to develop other power sources before fossil fuels run out. Only the Moon offers the practical possibility of nuclear fusion because lunar soil contains the isotope Helium-3, which is ideal for reactors. Nuclear fusion on Earth will always be ‘30 years away’ without Helium-3. The Moon also offers the possibility of solar power because it receives many times the solar energy of the Australian outback and that could be transmitted back to