Google backs private Moon landing

Spaceship-1 would have needed 60 times more energy to go into Earth orbit.
Much less go a quarter of a million miles to the moon.

Chuck Yeager was doing that kind of stuff in 1950.

I call it "Pretend-Spaceship-1"

Peter.

The US won the race to the Moon because, unlike the Soviet Union, it committed vast resources to a well thought-out "game plan" right from the start. NASA also stuck to that plan despite occasional technical & political problems. The foundation for Apollo's success was laid in 1962-67 when some 500,000 people from 20,000 companies built the spacecraft, Saturn carrier rocket & launch facilities. After this, the program was rapidly dismantled in just five years while the Apollo/Saturn system became operational, achieving President Kennedy's goal in July 1969 when Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon.[/b]

Incorrect comparison since the prize does not require a manned return mission. All this prize requires is something like Mars Express with a working Beagle (hey in 1/6th gravity they might stand a chance!). The total cost of Mars Express was ~€300m iirc. (including building, launching, monitoring, orbiter, beagle and the other instruments). A similar amount would get you on the moon with a lander.

So the prize might pay 10% of the cost.

The more I think about this the more doable it seems.

True about Iraq.
However.
Virtually all of space technology grew out of the military.

Hubble is a spy satellite looking the wrong way.

Peter.

Spaceship-1 would have needed 60 times more energy to go into Earth orbit.
Much less go a quarter of a million miles to the moon.

Chuck Yeager was doing that kind of stuff in 1950.

I call it "Pretend-Spaceship-1"

Peter.

You are an in exhaustible supple of negativity aren't you.

If you must scoff, go ahead. Then in a few years we can all say "I told you so".

I think Albert's analysis is spot on.

The Russians soft landed and photographed the Lunar surface nearly 42 years ago.

No big deal to repeat what your grand-daddy did all those years ago.

Peter.

The Russians soft landed and photographed the Lunar surface nearly 42 years ago.

No big deal to repeat what your grand-daddy did all those years ago.

Peter.

And what non-governmental group has ever landed on the Moon?

I think it's a HUGE deal when the space race ceases to be about governments competing but about ordinary people. It's taking space off the governments and giving it to the people.

None of us will ever make it to space as long as it's a government-only racket.

Bart.