Ice on the moon a "game-changer"

[ZenGum]

95% agree ... but you could use energy from sunlight, collected by photovoltaic cells, to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen, thus turning the lunar water into usable fuel, or oxygen for breathing. But, as you say, massively inefficient and pretty pointless.

Meanwhile, New scientist has a discussion on human space flight here.

It may simply be that space exploration is incompatible with US democracy. A Mars shot would take four presidential terms at least. No president will ask taxpayers to fund something he won't be around to take credit for.

Another big problem is the legacy of some terrible decisions that left NASA with the expensive, dangerous space shuttle and a white-elephant space station that manages the feat of making space seem as dull as cardboard. The whole thing is a mess.

but then

The act of putting a human into space remains a high-profile and politically potent showcase for the world's major industrial nations. What began as a race between the US and the Soviet Union has morphed into a multinational display of membership of the modern world. Like Olympic competition, human space flight has become one of the few acceptable outlets for overt displays of national pride. The fact that China has now entered the game virtually guarantees major western democracies won't back out.....
In the US, the jobs and material resources invested in human space flight are substantial and politically significant. As long as Florida plays a key role in determining who gets to be president, no US politician would lightly consider disbanding the programme.