How do we make a buck on the Moon?

We went to the Moon, took a lot of photos, gathered up a bunch of rocks, went home -- and after 1972 never went back.

A thoughtful essay by Ronald Bailey in the libertarian journal Reason says that's because the spirit of adventure will get you only so far. Earthlings won't go to the Moon again, Bailey says, until there's money in it, but nobody has figured out how to turn a profit on Moon dust or Moon tourism.

Our first thought was that Bailey puts way too much emphasis on the importance of money and free markets (as libertarians will do) to explain three decades of indifference to the Moon since the Apollo missions. But our second thought was he's probably right.

Reason has a nice way of cutting through the emotional clutter.

Our third thought, not to be crass, is that somebody out there must have a good idea about how to make a buck on Moon.

All suggestions are welcome.