Sleeping Satellite

So why haven't we been back to the Moon since the space race ended in the 70s?

We actually no longer have the technology - the rockets capable of putting humans in lunar orbit, let alone reach the moon, land, allow exploration, launch from the Moon, and get back to Earth. The moon is 250,000 miles away. America's current Space Shuttles can only get 200 miles up.

The Russians may have put Yuri Gagarin in orbit, but they never developed lunar technology. Although they still have heavy lift rockets, they never go further than Mir, and don't intend to.

Unless there is another Space Race, nobody will have a need to develop lunar technology again. So 40 years since the Apollo missions and we still have no Moonnase Alpha.

And that's before we look at getting to any of the other planets such as Mars.