US President Donald Trump, in a directive, orders the US space agency Nasa to send American astronauts to the Moon and later to Mars.
The president's ambition of getting American astronauts to the Moon is not new. That is the directive in return.
The trip comes according to the recommendation of the council called the National Space Council. The President of the Council is Vice President Mike Pence. It consists mainly of government, intelligence and military personnel.
Nasas director is also a member of the Council, originally established in 1958 under a different name. It was later closed in 1993, but Donald Trump's government has restored it in June this year.
The ambition has previously shone the wonder of the non-profit organization The Planetary Society, which works to promote research into space.
Its director, Casey Dreier, gave an interview in October to the Business insider, calling for a purpose of the ambition to go to the Moon.
"My question is, what purpose do we take for the Moon?"
"Money spent on a base on the Moon is money you can not spend on a trip to Mars," he said in that regard.
According to Dreier, there are several good reasons for landing on the Moon. Among other things, astronauts can explore conditions for extracting resources, as well as testing how to live and work on a foreign planet.
But he emphasizes that if the final goal is Mars, a base on the Moon will constitute an unwelcome distraction.
In that case, it will be easier just to go directly to Mars, says Casey Dreier.
According to Donald Trump, the directive will enable the United States to retrieve the country's "proud fate" in space.