The Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees NASA, recently held a hearing with the colorful title of “There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise: Why Congress and NASA Must Thwart China in the Space Race.”

As the title suggests, the committee convened to examine the possibility that China might actually be the first country back to the moon and what could be done about it.

What is the Chinese threat, in the view of the committee, and how can the U.S. thwart it? The consensus of the witnesses was that a return to the moon would derive enormous benefits in a number of areas.

Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine referred to these benefits as “DIME” — short for "Diplomatic, Information, Military, Economic." The country that returns to the moon will be the preeminent power on Earth for a long time to come.

The witnesses noted some of the economic benefits of space exploration, not only of the moon, but of low Earth orbit.

Mike Gold, president of civil and international space for Redwire, noted that his company has flown numerous experiments on the International Space Station that lead the way for advanced pharmaceuticals and growing of human organs.

Another topic that arose was the mining pf helium 3,........

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