I have to wonder why NASA didn't start by building a Saturn V - they surely must have kept all the blue-prints? They know it works, and must have gigabytes of data from all the Saturn V launches, that could be used to improve that vehicle where possible with advances in technology and material science since the 1960's.
However, let's be honest; the money spent would have gone a long way to solving other far more pressing and important problems, e.g. renewable energy.
We really don't need to go back to the moon, or any other moon, to see if there is life there: we need to sort out life on this planet first.