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Marc's note: Freelance science journalist and author Dana Mackenzie attended the recent Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG). He wrote on his personal blog a two part report on the meeting. I think it's worth a read.
LEAG Conference, part 1, Dana Mackenzie
LEAG Conference, part 2, Dana Mackenzie
"The big theme of the meeting was sustainability: How do we go back to the moon in such a way that we can keep on going there indefinitely? Many, though not all, of the participants interpreted that question to mean: How can we make the moon economically viable? Of course, the LCROSS mission has a great deal to say about that."
>>Many, though not all, of the participants interpreted that question to mean: How can we make the moon economically viable?
The primary markets for exotic travel are research and tourism. However they would have to be users who pay for the flight, not simply things we do because we're going to the moon anyway. Both scientists and tourists require much lower costs, even with the amount of water reported by LCROSS. The only way to make human spaceflight viable is to make it considerably less expensive. This won't be achieved by launching more often with old technology.