By ROBERT S BOYD Officials say they hope to have a base for astronauts to live in by 2024. WASHINGTON -- NASA is asking private industry to come up with creative ideas for a lunar outpost that can house four astronauts for one to four weeks on the moon starting about 2024.

WASHINGTON _ NASA is asking private industry to come up with creative ideas for a lunar outpost that can house four astronauts for one to four weeks on the moon starting about 2024.