NASA: The moon as a staging base

NASA is reportedly thinking about building a lunar base, which is planned to be used as a launching pad for manned flights to Mars and to more distant planets. The base will be something like a gate and will be a good support for astronauts exploring the Moon itself or going to Mars.

While it is planned to build a base in the so-called Lagrange point L2 , on the dark side of the moon.
')
Wiki : At point L2, the gravitational forces acting on the body compensate for the action of centrifugal forces in the rotating frame of reference.

The first flight of the rocket to the moon for this purpose is scheduled for 2017, two years later, the construction of the outpost itself will begin. The Orion rocket capsule will be used, the development of which costs the United States approximately $ 3 billion a year. At the same time, the current NASA budget is about 18 billion. Inside the capsule, by the way, there are components from Italy and Russia.

While much depends on the actions of Congress and the President on this issue, NASA needs more funding, but not the fact that they will receive it.

More details (eng).
Orlando Sentinel