Habitable Luna: The New Moon (AU)

In my alternate history project, The New Moon, tons of stuff is different (see my other posts)
Basically, our moon (yes, the one irl) has been naturally habitable ever since time immemorial.
Human societies viewed the moon as a dwelling of the gods, as indicated by the plants' shimmering, goldish color.
We stepped foot onto their domain in the 1970's, as a part of JFK's Lunar Colonization Program, sending out a manned expedition after various probes.

The first Apollo mission landing saw a crew of 5 men sent onto the surface of a celestial body for the first ever time. It was accomplished by the NATO [North American Treaty Organization] countries. (the Big 3 being the Californias, Oregon-Louisiana, and the US)
The designated spot was a peninsula located near the equator so that a later mission could pick up the purposely marooned crew after a lengthy few months.
While incredibly risky, and a bold gambit, the plans that the 29th President of the USA, John F. Kennedy, drew up were a success. The plan involved the crew to live off of the land and make field reports and shelter on the alien moon, as previous probes have identified the native Lunar lifeforms as safe to digest.
Six months later, the crew would be successfully picked up and escorted back to Earth, where they remained quarantined until scientists determined there was no risk of a Lunar Plague.