The Moon is soon to be on the receiving end of a volley of robotic probes launched by multiple nations. Spacecraft from Europe, Japan, India, China, as well as the United States are expected to spark a 21^st century renaissance in lunar exploration.

Rekindling that scientific link to Earth's natural satellite might spur other endeavors too, and humans may once again bound across that "magnificent desolation" as Apollo 11 astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, saw it through his space helmet visor.

There is growing interest in viewing the ever-beaming Moon as a bright business opportunity. Commercial lunar enterprises could eventually sustain their operations and grow by using lunar resources such as silicon, iron, glass, and oxygen to fabricate structures, solar panels, and tools on the Moon.

"There are plenty of commercial opportunities on the Moon. However the market needs to be ready for them…and at the moment, the market is not ready yet," said Paul van Susante, a civil engineer at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

Susante's personal view is that most commercial opportunities on the Moon have to do with energy. That energy comes either in the form of solar energy delivered to the Earth from space - be it from geosynchronous orbit high above our planet, or from the Moon itself.

Yet another prospective, lunar-supplied energy, Susante added, is in the form of rocket propellant - concocted from processing the Moon's bounty of resources. In this regard, caches of water ice may exist in permanently shadowed craters at the North and South Pole regions. This material can be turned into on-the-spot quantities of oxygen, water, and rocket fuel.

Then there is the idea of Helium-3 mining on the Moon to power up future fusion reactors here on Earth.

"On the longer term, lunar tourism might become viable, say rest, meditation, or adventure travel," Susante envisions, as could large-scale production of items benefiting by the Moon's one-sixth gravity and vacuum.

Whatever the case, comfy quarters and viable lunar housing is a must.

Susante recently served as co-organizer of the first European Lunar Base Design Workshop, hosted in June by the European Space Agency's European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands.

A total of 40 graduate students from 16 nations and 13 disciplines took part in designing lunar base concepts. Along with ESA/ESTEC hosting the workshop, assistance was provided by several groups: The Colorado School of Mines, Lunar Architecture, Moonfront, ESCAPE*spHere, Tu-Vienna, Institute for Design and Building Construction, the Austrian Space Agency, Umbilical Design, International Lunar Exploration Working Group, and the Lunar Explorers Society.

The just issued outcome of the study led to several unique lunar base designs. Each base was tasked with specific work, such as: Ice mining research: solar power system elements production; water usage research; Helium-3 mining; providing service to other lunar bases; and scientific research in the areas of mining, self-sustainability, social and psychological aspects of living on the Moon.

One result from the student design work is a far greater appreciation of inflatable structures. Another challenge realized is the need for well-designed "livable space" within the lunar habitats - structures that are cozy, efficient, safe and sound, pleasing to the eye, as well as psychologically suitable.

Getting back to the Moon in a big way means, at first, taking small steps.

NASA is presently being petitioned by lunar scientists to pursue a robotic mission to the lunar farside, snagging samples for return to Earth from the South Pole Aitken Basin. Doing so would yield a scientific bonanza.

Carefully studied lunar specimens should tell the story of the Moon's early history, as well as cough up clues that may help discern Earth's formative years.

A NASA reprieve at the Moon is more than good news for scientists. A government return might prime the pump for private sector firms to swing into action.

"It's an interesting development," said David Gump, President of LunaCorp in Fairfax, Virginia. "The 'science' wing of the space community has found a second reason to head down close to the South Pole of the Moon. That's where the 'settlement' wing already wants to hunt for ice resources," he said.

Past lunar probes -- the Pentagon's Clementine and NASA's Lunar Prospector -- both relayed back teasing glimpses of what is believed to be large reservoirs of water ice tucked away within always-shadowed craters at the Moon's polar regions. If present, and in the quantity hoped for, that resource makes for good pickings.

Indeed, the Moon might become a privately operated propellant pit stop. Topped off with made-on-the-Moon fuel, transport craft could ship propellant closer to Earth to replenish those spacecraft where the needle reads "E" for empty.

Gump said one early idea is establishing a permanent relay satellite in lunar orbit. It's a good idea for both science and settlement camps. "The best first step is a polar orbiting communications and imagery satellite around the Moon, with commercial participation to bring the cost down," he added.

A South Pole Aitken Basin mission perks up the ears of Jim Benson, head of SpaceDev in Poway, California, near San Diego. SpaceDev touts the status of being the world's first publicly traded commercial space exploration and development company.

"Speaking from a mission and technology point of view, [the South Pole Aitken Basin mission] is a very difficult project. But it's one that needs to be attempted in order to develop modern versions of lunar landers and robotics for the more difficult areas of the Moon than the old, easier Apollo sites," Benson said.

SpaceDev has already designed an appropriate and affordable lunar data relay orbiter, Benson said, well-suited for the Lagrangian Point (L2) halo orbit that is in constant view of both the poles and farside of the Moon and of Earth.

Eventually, cutting-edge robot landers may saunter their way into super-cold, and possibly water ice laden areas within Aitken Basin.

A lander that explores a permanently shaded crater is orders of magnitude more difficult than Apollo landers, Benson said, due to the extreme and permanent cold. That likely means use of nuclear power, increasing mass and cost dramatically, and removing the lander from the private sector. Robotics for that temperature regime is also beyond current state of the art technology, but not impossible, he said.