Like you, I doubt that moon mining will be taking place anytime soon, and by soon I mean 10 years or less, but it just might take place a lot faster than either one of us might think. Science and technology are moving along at an incredible pace and could have us mining the moon, at least to some limited degree in 20 years or less. Consider for a second how some things progressed in the past. For 1000's of years we could move no faster than our feet or an animal could carry us. Then, all of a sudden, the steam engine was created and in just a few years it was taking only a few days to cross an entire continent. Or take flight, Orville and Wilbur taught us to fly on 1904 and in 1942 we entered the jet age. Things have a way of happening fast and even though you or I can't see moon mining taking place in the near future doesn't mean that someone else is without a plan for getting things/events to move quickly.