“Distraction.” That’s how Elon Musk described NASA’s efforts to land a human on the moon. He proposed going directly to Mars, and already has a name for the first settlement there: Terminus.

President Trump’s close advisor could be getting his way. Trump, in his second inaugural address, promised to put an American on the Red Planet. He did not then mention NASA’s ongoing moon program.

But skipping the moon would be a disaster for America. The U.S. must put down stakes there as fast as possible and with as large a presence as possible.

China certainly has big ambitions for our closest neighbor in space. The China National Space Administration, with the help of Russian space agency Roscosmos, plans a colony near the coveted lunar south pole, which appears to have, among other things, large quantities of ice.

Beijing and Moscow announced in March 2021 the signing of a memorandum of understanding contemplating the building of the International Lunar Research Station. Later, they said they expect to complete the station’s first phase around 2035.

The Chinese effort has been impressive. China has had a moon presence since 2013, when Chang’e-3 put both a lander and a rover on the surface. Chang’e 4, which landed on the moon’s far side in January 2019, has been gathering........

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