When Do You Think Humans Will Return to the Moon?

By 2025. Not necessarily humans from the US of A.

Soon

I’m 17 and I doubt it in my lifetime. Maybe sometime around 2050-2070 when there is actual overpopulation/food shortages and governments start to realize how pertinent space exploration really is. I think there will be robots mining the moon/asteroids before humans return to build a base on the moon/mars.

I think humans will return to the moon between 2038 and 2056. Probably Americans, launched by a private group that is sort of a successor to NASA’s manned spaceflight effort. Russians will follow shortly thereafter. There will already be a robotic infrastructure in place on the moon when they land.

My rationale for America in 2038 to 2056:

1.) Pulled it out of my hat, and it sounded good and plausible.

2.) America is still the only truly “global” superpower, and will remain the only one for the forseeable future (see Stratfor). American history (and history in general) follows a pattern of Rout-Rally-Rout-Rally…we’re in a Rout right now (last big Rout was the Great Depression, and we had a mini-Rout in the ’70′s), and the next Rally will have a lot of momentum.

If the next “Rally” does not come, (in America or elsewhere like Russia or China…Russia might be a better prospect in the long run, more self-sufficient in resources), then it will be centuries before humans return to the moon (look up the term “ecotechnic” for longer-term, sustainable, relatively advanced societies, after the fossil fuels have run out).

But I think people will…either in the next generation, or in the very distant future. I do not think humans will become extinct for a very long time, even if we remain confined to Earth.

2029, on my 70th birthday, briefly bringing back the vision of the future I was given when I was 10 and which has been steadily corroded by idiot politicians ever since!

China seems to be doing what they plan, and they plan to go back on manned round trips ~ 2020 and manned landings 2025-2030.

US will not go back for manned landing (not necessary, only a time & resource waste for NEO and Mars missions). But seems wisely vote for manned round trips in preparation for NEOs. The NASA SLS plan have a manned round trip ~ 2020.

Then we have the commercial sector, with announced tourist round trips already, and a vested societal interest in Moon trips, However, markets are notoriously unpredictable.

Sad. It seems we are not going anywhere, except maybe for a quick joyride or two.
Been there done that? Damn, that mentality wound never have got on a ship to discover the Americas in the first place.
No Profit? that is the reason i no longer have faith that it will be the US, except for maybe a dying puff of bravado if someone else manages to get there.
What worries me is – if the Americans let it slip, it will be china who gets there, and we see how they treat things like the Internet,- i can see them fencing off the US flag, and saying “thats your 100 sqr meters (oh thats right American, make it 100 sqr feet). All over.
Also – insurance civilization – I know if you grow bacteria in a petri dish, growth is fairly exponential, right up to the point where all the resources are used up, then everything collapses, very quickly.
Just cos we been to the moon, don’t mean we shouldn’t go back, and sending people to the moon teaches us about habitat construction & unforeseen requirements, and its a bit easier to evac the crew from the moon than from mars.
There is water there, and other useful matter. I don’t know how good an idea it is to fire billions of tons of metal out into space, decreasing the earths mass over time, but a lunar base allows to-ing and fro-ing from NEO’s, matter better sent off on missions than blundering around our orbit. You don’t learn to climb trees by strapping a belt to your feet and attempting to scale the really big ones – you start with a test climb on something lower with a few branches, and use what you learn to help climb the big smooth tree.
Robots? yea love em, and keep em coming, they have their niche and fill it well. But sitting in a control room on earth, directing the Titan mine will teach us bugger all, and so far ALL discoveries have been made because someone had a look and said … “Oh”, when AI can do that, we will have already melded with it, and be flying our bodies to distant suns.
We have used up the easily available resources. If society undergoes a full collapse and we lose our current level of technology (not just electric) the future generations wont be able to reach the coal, or gold, or copper. If it all falls over now, it is ovar. This is our last chance people – no try again in 40 000 yrs.

moon does not serve a great purpose anymore.

i think the next time we go to moon would be to collect materials to create a Space station in upper the earth orbit

In the next five years