Why explore the moon?

An overview is presented of reasons to pursue exploration of the moon, including the expansion of human settlements beyond earth, the scientific benefits from the exploration of the moon, the utilization of the moon as a research laboratory, and the opening of the resources of near-earth space. Consideration is also given to Mars exploration in which the moon is used principally as a testbed. Attention is given to the current work by the Office of Exploration, whose effort is aimed at comprehending the first 'waypoint' in a long term strategy for moving toward the moon and Mars.