I've never really understood why we have never attempted to colonize the moon, much less establish an active moon base. In some ways I almost feel like the quest for Mars has humans behaving like Icarus from Greek mythology. Ambition is a great motivator, but can cause one to ignore the details which matter.
I have upvoted this piece and featured it in my hidden gems blog. Great thoughts and it's good to hear another echo my own sentiments.
It was about money. I wrote a post on the plans made to have a moon outpost built by 1965.
https://steemit.com/technology/@getonthetrain/revealed-inside-secret-us-military-plans-for-lunar-base
In my mind, I think the excuse about money being the problem is really that- an excuse. It seems more a matter of conviction when you look at what the US spends money on which could be multiple times the cost building a moon base. It seems the only way this will ever happen is through private industry at this rate. I'm cautiously optimistic we will see the Orion rocket one day, but not one day soon.