Ok, lets take this back on topic a bit.
I personally think its great that China will be the 3rd nation to get a human into space and although they are going to have to spend decades to try and catch up to the level of the Russians and US in terms of experience and technology, its good to have a little competition. I'd also like to see them visit the ISSS as soon as they are able - a continuation of a Cold War in space isn't something to feel warm and fuzzy about.
As for MacAztec - you should do some research at NASA -
http://www.nasa.gov I had an opportunity to work for a summer - 3 months - at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, and I have to tell you we haven't lost sight getting back to the moon or other planets. Its just damn expensive to do anything at that large a scale. Hollywood and sciencefiction make it look easy, but its not.
As for the Shuttle crew standing by ready to go to the moon, it wasn't the shuttle - it was another Apollo mission, actually 3 more, all cancelled due to lack of money and overall interest. Going to the moon had become too routine to justify the expense. Check the link -
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_18_20.html
And just so you know, building an Apollo rocket is one thing, its the support of the launch and the mission that rack up the big bucks. All those people on the payroll....
As for a Lunar Telescope - there is another approach being made - the NGST
http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/ - this is the Next Generation Space Telescope that will replace the Hubble. There won't be any telescopes on the far side of the Moon (not the dark side) until we actually get cheaper and simpler form of Earth to orbit vehicle. That will allow us to truly move into space, go to the moon and other planets without the epic proportions needed for an Apollo mission.
Again, try doing a little research and in your searches learn a little about delta v - not the rocket, but the energy requirements for getting off the planet.
Good luck,
D