All wise home builders all have a plan for a safe haven if their house plans fail while in progress. Wasting intelligence is a common flaw in elders minds, because they did it before they were mature teen age children and continued to do it when they were and still do it as adults,
The eldest of our ancient races all had a back up plan. The modern day thinkers all have one, but aren't sharing, or are just scared to. And that is why we are all sitting around making a mess where we live instead of messing around the Moon.
I have always had the observatory idea. Gene Roddenberry got his from the same weekly newspaper comic strips as all my older Sister and Brothers did,
A cabin in the woods was a future back to the past idea which was also a future for living with millions of the ancient's offspring/
Then we could live in a safe space above the planet to make sure our involvement didn't upset any evoling species. Or so we could watch as our children messed around and aid them if they messed up ROYALLY.
The M.O. I. S. S. would provide a safety net in case trouble building on the Moon caused a need for immediate evacuation,