The Lunar Gateway, Moon vs. Mars, and the Political Governance of Space Activities

In 2017, the Trump Administration made a bold claim—that they would return the next man and the first woman to the lunar surface by 2024, this time to establish a sustainable presence to enable further exploration in the solar system. With the Artemis Program, NASA has demonstrated an interest in bolstering public-private partnerships and developing an international coalition interested in collaborating in lunar exploration. A central piece of infrastructure will be the Lunar Gateway, an orbiting habitat and command module in cislunar space. Should NASA prioritize the Lunar Gateway, especially considering its history managing the International Space Station?