Rec.Aviation.Homebuilt.Spacecraft?

I figure there is enough expertise in this group to successfully tackle
this challenge...

Now all it takes is money!


http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceands...2/moon-20.html


The latest version of the X Prize is backed by Google: $20 million to
the first private enterprise that can land a robotic rover on the lunar
surface, send back images and data, and travel at least 500 meters--with
more rewards if it can find artifacts from the early days of lunar
exploration, when only the U.S. and Soviet governments could afford to
send probes.

The Apollo landings and the probes that preceded them were, to the X
Prize managers, "Moon 1.0"--done by Cold War powers in an expensive
rush, with no long-term plan to stay and mine the moon for whatever it
had to offer. Now comes Moon 2.0.

"The Google Lunar X PRIZE is an unprecedented international competition
that will challenge and inspire engineers and entrepreneurs from around
the world to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration." say
the backers.

They now have their first applicant: an operation called Odyssey Moon,
founded by Robert Richards, an entrepreneur who's also founded the
International Space University in France.

cavelamb himself wrote:
I figure there is enough expertise in this group to successfully tackle
this challenge...

Now all it takes is money!


http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceands...2/moon-20.html


The latest version of the X Prize is backed by Google: $20 million to
the first private enterprise that can land a robotic rover on the lunar
surface,

Um - has any private enterprise even gotten into orbit yet? I mean jeepers,
how many _nations_ have even managed to get an artificial satellite into
orbit - never mind get one to the moon? What gives with announcing prizes
that no one is likely to be able to collect on?

Jim Logajan wrote:
cavelamb himself wrote:

I figure there is enough expertise in this group to successfully
tackle this challenge...

Now all it takes is money!

http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceands...2/moon-20.html

The latest version of the X Prize is backed by Google: $20 million to
the first private enterprise that can land a robotic rover on the
lunar surface,

Um - has any private enterprise even gotten into orbit yet? I mean
jeepers, how many _nations_ have even managed to get an artificial
satellite into orbit - never mind get one to the moon? What gives with
announcing prizes that no one is likely to be able to collect on?

Its a shame the original lunar rovers didn't have any type of remote
control. I'm sure the batteries are shot by now anywayz.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary...pollo_lrv.html

Would be kinda n33t to hack the old school abandoned stuff, Harry Broderick
style: http://imdb.com/title/tt0079847 http://imdb.com/title/tt0078681

Darrel Toepfer wrote:
Jim Logajan wrote:

cavelamb himself wrote:


I figure there is enough expertise in this group to successfully
tackle this challenge...

Now all it takes is money!

http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceands...2/moon-20.html

The latest version of the X Prize is backed by Google: $20 million to
the first private enterprise that can land a robotic rover on the
lunar surface,

Um - has any private enterprise even gotten into orbit yet? I mean
jeepers, how many _nations_ have even managed to get an artificial
satellite into orbit - never mind get one to the moon? What gives with
announcing prizes that no one is likely to be able to collect on?


Its a shame the original lunar rovers didn't have any type of remote
control. I'm sure the batteries are shot by now anywayz.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary...pollo_lrv.html

Would be kinda n33t to hack the old school abandoned stuff, Harry Broderick
style: http://imdb.com/title/tt0079847 http://imdb.com/title/tt0078681


Was that the one where they used a cement truck drum for the ship's hull?

cavelamb himself wrote:

Was that the one where they used a cement truck drum for the ship's
hull?

I don't remember that, I thought he'd gotten scrap Apollo stuff from the
government...

On Dec 12, 7:37 pm, cavelamb himself wrote:
I figure there is enough expertise in this group to successfully tackle
this challenge...

Now all it takes is money!

http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceands...2/moon-20.html

I'm in, but -- like most of us -- all I have to offer is time, some
knowledge, and enthusiasm beyond reason.

(I found the Mercury and Gemini information on line, but there never
are any dimensioned drawings of them. How do modelbuilders do it?
Does NASA sell the plans?)

On Dec 12, 6:07 pm, Jim Logajan wrote:
cavelamb himself wrote:
I figure there is enough expertise in this group to successfully tackle
this challenge...

Now all it takes is money!

http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceands...2/moon-20.html

The latest version of the X Prize is backed by Google: $20 million to
the first private enterprise that can land a robotic rover on the lunar
surface,

Um - has any private enterprise even gotten into orbit yet? I mean jeepers,
how many _nations_ have even managed to get an artificial satellite into
orbit - never mind get one to the moon? What gives with announcing prizes
that no one is likely to be able to collect on?

Or a prize where the effort to win it will cost nearly as much, if not
more, than the prize?

Harry K

Harry K wrote:
On Dec 12, 6:07 pm, Jim Logajan wrote:

cavelamb himself wrote:

I figure there is enough expertise in this group to successfully tackle
this challenge...

Now all it takes is money!

http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceands...2/moon-20.html

The latest version of the X Prize is backed by Google: $20 million to
the first private enterprise that can land a robotic rover on the lunar
surface,

Um - has any private enterprise even gotten into orbit yet? I mean jeepers,
how many _nations_ have even managed to get an artificial satellite into
orbit - never mind get one to the moon? What gives with announcing prizes
that no one is likely to be able to collect on?


Or a prize where the effort to win it will cost nearly as much, if not
more, than the prize?

Harry K

Rutan's crew won the $20 million prize with SpaceShip One.
It cost $40 million.


They seem to think it was worth it...


Richard

wrote in message
...
On Dec 12, 7:37 pm, cavelamb himself wrote:
I figure there is enough expertise in this group to successfully tackle
this challenge...

Now all it takes is money!

http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceands...2/moon-20.html

I'm in, but -- like most of us -- all I have to offer is time, some
knowledge, and enthusiasm beyond reason.

(I found the Mercury and Gemini information on line, but there never
are any dimensioned drawings of them. How do modelbuilders do it?
Does NASA sell the plans?)

How long do you figure it would take for a committee of homebuilders
with a supply of muzzleloader to build and fly a spacecraft? Hell, how long
would it take to decide on a spacecraft?

We could send out little packages of parts/rivets/glue to millions of
Usenet folks, and have them all sent back for final assembly, kinda like
Boeing is doing.

We could simulate sending parts to some people.

We would need a referee, but it would be fun to watch.

Al G

cavelamb himself wrote:

Rutan's crew won the $20 million prize with SpaceShip One.
It cost $40 million.

They seem to think it was worth it...

$1.2m per multisecond zero g space tourist, I think they'll eventually make
money...