>>12542667Honestly, the Moon's close enough to the Earth that I see lunar mining operations being run like a mix between offshore oil rigs and Antarctic bases: You live on site, you work a preset period of several weeks or months or whatever, and then you return to your home on Earth for a preset period, and then perhaps return to the Moon again.
Anything further out than the Moon, like Mars or the asteroids or whatever, WILL look like an actual colony. The moon, on the other hand? Nah, it'll be a workplace. People will make relatively large amounts of money working hard up there, and return to spend it on a planet where they don't have to pay a utility bill for breathable air.