If NASA has already been to the moon 6 times why are they saying it will take until 2020 to go back?

Answer 1

Essentially NASA has become a jobs program run by timid bureaucrats. Every scientist vies to get his pettechnology used in missions with no goal. The easy target to blame for the aimless nature of NASA since Apollo is the Nixon administration who mothballed the greatest feat of engineering in human history: the Saturn VI.

For a a more detailed look on what happened to derail space exploration look up some speeches or books by Robert Zubrin. His classic Entering Space is a must red for anyone interested in the future of space exploration.

http://www.Amazon.com/Entering-Space-Creating-Spacefaring-Civilization/dp/1585420360/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248134948&sr=8-1

Answer 2

The Apollo missions that landed on the moon were in the late 1960s and early 1970s. NASA's current plans to return to the moon involve developing new technologies, systems, and capabilities that weren't available during the Apollo era. This includes building new spacecraft, establishing sustainable lunar habitats, and ensuring astronaut safety, all of which take time to develop and test before landing humans on the moon again.