Google Lunar X Prize |
Google Lunar X Prize |
Mar 28 2008, 08:53 PM
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10184 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
Am I completely out of it, or is there no GLXP thread on here? I couldn't find one. Anyway, things are moving on it, so I thought we ought to have one.
For the record, I just turned down my second invitation to join a team. I'm staying as an interested observer on this - for now, anyway. There is a forum at the GLXP site as well as team info. There are a lot of people with half-baked ideas of how to go about it. The real professionals are not doing much on the forum, just working behind the scenes. At LPSC two weeks ago, Bob Richards of Odyssey Moon invited people to propose instruments to carry on their rover - targeted to a pyroclastic deposit, probably Rima Bode or Sulpicius Gallus. And I see they have now signed an agreement to carry Celestis's lunar burials to the Moon. Richards will be here next week, and I'll be spending some time with him. This whole thing is going to be interesting. Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PD: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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May 7 2008, 07:46 PM
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#2
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10184 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
No, imipak, several hundred million dollars is way out of line for a launch. Several tens of millions is more like it (this has been the subject of a lot of discussion on their forum). And one Astrobotic team component is Raytheon - at least, a group from Raytheon working privately on this project. They have a lot of expertise, it's not just a group of rover builders. Some other teams plan to launch themselves - unrealistic, in my view.
I understand that Astrobotic expect to pay for a commercial launch, and the Raytheon people will design the transfer stage and lander. The whole thing might cost $80 million, and they are now raising money for it. We all know that will be hard, but Astrobotic are as well prepared as anybody to do it. As things stand now I think there are only two serious contenders, Astrobotic being one of them. The 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 seems too close to me, I think another year will be needed. Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PD: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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May 8 2008, 07:23 PM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 646 Joined: 23-December 05 From: Forest of Dean Member No.: 617 |
No, imipak, several hundred million dollars is way out of line for a launch. Several tens of millions is more like it [...] The whole thing might cost $80 million,.. I stand corrected on the launch cost - thanks! However, I still don't see how it can be done without huge amount (say $80m) of corporate charity, and that seems like an awful lot, especially these days. Then again they don't appear to be idiots, so I guess it's just possible they know something I don't! As always, I'll be happy to be proved wrong by events... as usual. Anyway, returning to Stu's original point - is there anything useful I/we can do that might reduce the risk to the Apollo 11 site? Or are we worrying unnecessarily? -------------------- --
Viva software libre! |
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