Yet if humans intend to establish a permanent presence on the moon, and venture beyond to Mars, it will be imperative to prioritize safety, sustainability and transparency, said Jim Myers, senior vice president of the civil systems group at The Aerospace Corporation, a federally funded research organization based in El Segundo, California.

"Those elements have to be there," Myers said. "Unless we do this in a very thoughtful way, unless we plan, we're going to run into all sorts of trouble."