How spacefaring nations could avoid conflict on the moon

An illustration showing inflatable ringed bases on the surface of the moon, with wires poking out of the top attached to satellite dishes with the Earth in the background .

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

In the 1960s, Frank Sinatra's song Fly Me to the Moon became closely associated with the Apollo missions. The optimistic track was recorded in 1964, when US success against the Soviet Union in the Moon race was not assured.