Trying to determine if there is water on the moon is, I think, a worthwhile endeavor; that is, if we harbor any ambitions of ever traveling off this planet beyond the occasional exploratory robot mission. And it's not as if the moon has any kind of "ecosystem" that can be adversely affected, although I would certainly not like to see the moon turned into any kind of garbage dump. I don't think that's what's on NASA's agenda.

Other than a space station, scientific outpost, or possible relay station for more far-reaching space missions, I can't see the moon being used as a habitat for large groups of people. I also have my doubts about Mars. Negligible atmosphere and no magnetic field to shield it from the less pleasant solar radiations as the earth has, but who knows? Venus? Seems pretty unlikely, considering the composition of its atmosphere and the fact that the greenhouse effect keeps it as hot as a pizza oven, but a few decades back, Carl Sagan outlined a reasonable sounding plan for terraforming it, altering the atmosphere and reducing the temperature, and making it livable for humans.

Not to mention planets orbiting nearby stars. More are being discovered every day (night?).

Who knows? The sky's the limit, as they say.

But as to the idea that NASA is attacking aliens, either native to the moon (!!???) or ones who came from elsewhere and are using the moon as some kind of base, if it were the latter, the chances that they came from anywhere within the solar system is next to impossible, and if they came from beyond the solar system (Alpha Centauri or Wolf 359, say) that means they have the means to travel substantial distances, which, in turn, means they have some pretty heavy-duty technology. I don't think NASA would be dumb enough to want to piss off anyone who has that kind of potential.

Don Firth

P. S.   Buck Rogers was a boyhood hero of mine. Very fond of the writings of the late Arthur C. Clarke. All my life, I've been into astronomy and cosmology in a big way.