saw in books from the 1950s 60s

one point someone made is it IS easier to build interplanetary spacecraft ON the Moon than doing the same in orbit

That's a fascinating point, and it's certainly true that the Moon has some unique advantages for spacecraft construction. For example, the Moon's gravity is much lower than Earth's, which means that it takes less energy to launch a spacecraft from the Moon. Additionally, the lack of an atmosphere on the Moon means that there is no air resistance to contend with, which can also save energy. However, there are also some challenges to building spacecraft on the Moon. One challenge is the lack of resources. The Moon is a very dry and dusty place, and there is very little water or other resources that can be used for construction. This means that any spacecraft built on the Moon would need to be made from materials that are already present on the Moon, or that would need to be brought from Earth. Another challenge is the extreme temperatures on the Moon. The Moon's surface can reach temperatures of up to 127 degrees Celsius during the day, and can drop to -173 degrees Celsius at night. This means that any spacecraft built on the Moon would need to be able to withstand these extreme temperatures. Despite these challenges, there are still some experts who believe that it is possible to build spacecraft on the Moon. In fact, NASA is currently working on a project called Artemis, which aims to send humans back to the Moon by 2024. One of the goals of the Artemis program is to build a lunar gateway that could be used as a base for future missions to the Moon and Mars. If NASA is successful in building a lunar gateway, it could pave the way for the construction of spacecraft on the Moon in the future.