Google has helped push it to the next level by an order of magnitude: Google Lunar X Prize.
I can't wait to see streaming HD video from the surface of the moon in a few years
quote:The $30 million prize purse is segmented into a $20 million Grand Prize, a $5 million Second Prize and $5 million in bonus prizes. To win the Grand Prize, a team must successfully soft land a privately funded spacecraft on the Moon, rove on the lunar surface for a minimum of 500 meters, and transmit a specific set of video, images and data back to the Earth.
Bonus prizes will be won by successfully completing additional mission tasks such as roving longer distances (> 5,000 meters), imaging man made artifacts (e.g. Apollo hardware), discovering water ice, and/or surviving through a frigid lunar night (approximately 14.5 Earth days). The competing lunar spacecraft will be equipped with high-definition video and still cameras, and will send images and data to Earth, which the public will be able to view on the Google Lunar X PRIZE website.
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Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature.
From: Happy Hunting Grounds... Insane since: Mar 2001
posted 10-17-2007 17:20
This is really, really cool, and if it actually succeeds in getting the Private Sector interested in space travel, will be the one most important event in our history.
The event that got us into space and beyond.
The stars are ours!
WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles
"High Probability of Certain Death with Little Chance of Success... What Are We Waiting For?"
But seriously. The probability of anyone spending the necessary (what? $200 million or more, just pulled that out of my #¤%) for the $20 million prize and the publicity is highly unlikely not to mention immeasurably risky endeavor. Big companies will probably think: yea ok, so we spend $200 million dollars to do something that impractical. What will our stock holders think and what will our stock holders think if we fail?! What will a failure say about our products? Our rocket stayed in the air for 15 seconds and killed 3 people but rest assured same will happen when you buy our helicopter?
Google should do it. In cooperation with other companies of course because this is not their area of expertise.
This is a serious project of almost immeasurable difficulty.
1) Rover - Good luck with off the shelf parts. If the moon dust doesn't get you, radiation, heat/cold and micro meteorites will.
2) Delivery - Those Russian rockets haven't been proving too reliable lately.
3) Landing - Ever played "Lunar lander"? Think 10000 times more difficult.
4) Probability of the rover actually surviving the delivery and the landing
5) How they going to test anything? They're just going to write bug free software and engineer a bug free rover without testing it in anywhere near realistic conditions? Yeah right because we see that happening every day.
Also you realized that people already went to the moon, in the 60's-70's. Since then we learnt a lot, materials evolved a lot, computers got 1 bagillions faster and cheaper. And as for testing, the situation is not different than it was in the 60's for the Moon rover was tested, or more recently when the Mars rovers were tested ... and yet they work(ed) damn fine. In fact they worked much better/longer than expected.
I absolutely agree that the $20 million prize won't cover the costs, but I seriously don't think it'll be $200 million. Though I could be wrong.
Probably one of the more costly aspects is the launch vehicle and SpaceX is offering a discount on their Falcon Launch Vehicle to these teams (regularly $7 million per vehicle (aka rocket)).
Sure you can use parachutes on the moon They just wouldn't be effective at slowing your descent. You could use them as blankets, or roll them up into pillows, or hide from the aliens under them.
A soft landing is definitely gonna be tricky.
Are those issues challenging? Absolutely. Impossible? Not at all. There are research companies out there that thrive on this cutting edge kind of stuff.
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Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature.
Combination of small rocket engines and huge external airbags is actually a relatively simple and cheap option for soft landing.
quote: poi said:
Arthurio: what if they succeed ?
It's a damn long way from someone actually taking on the challenge to total success. However if someone succeeds then they have done the impossible. The fact that NASA has done it is no argument whatsoever. Those guys spend years, lots of work hours and money on every tiny aspect of everything involved. Besides this is what they specialize in and this is what they have all the necessary infrastructure in place. And also the fact that computers have become faster doesn't mean anything either. The improved computing power is only necessary for the HD video feed. Of course it could be used for other things but since the Moon is so close I bet the more logical choice would be to just RC the damn thing once it has landed.
quote: Arthurio said:
It's a damn long way from someone actually taking on the challenge to total success. However if someone succeeds then they have done the impossible.
quote: Oddball said:
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
From: Happy Hunting Grounds... Insane since: Mar 2001
posted 10-18-2007 16:24
quote: Arthurio said:
"High Probability of Certain Death with Little Chance of Success... What Are We Waiting For?"But seriously. The probability of anyone spending the necessary (what? $200 million or more, just pulled that out of my #¤%) for the $20 million prize and the publicity is highly unlikely not to mention immeasurably risky endeavor. Big companies will probably think: yea ok, so we spend $200 million dollars to do something that impractical. What will our stock holders think and what will our stock holders think if we fail?! What will a failure say about our products? Our rocket stayed in the air for 15 seconds and killed 3 people but rest assured same will happen when you buy our helicopter?Google should do it. In cooperation with other companies of course because this is not their area of expertise.This is a serious project of almost immeasurable difficulty.1) Rover - Good luck with off the shelf parts. If the moon dust doesn't get you, radiation, heat/cold and micro meteorites will. 2) Delivery - Those Russian rockets haven't been proving too reliable lately.3) Landing - Ever played "Lunar lander"? Think 10000 times more difficult.4) Probability of the rover actually surviving the delivery and the landing5) How they going to test anything? They're just going to write bug free software and engineer a bug free rover without testing it in anywhere near realistic conditions? Yeah right because we see that happening every day.I'm not getting my hopes up just yet.
That is the same thing that was said about the reaching space competition - and someone did it.
In fact, history is full of those always saying "They'll never succeed!" and despite that, they do.
The truth is that Human Nature loves a challenge, and loves taking a risk - the business side is to find a financial way to overcome the challenge, and to minimize the risks.
WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles
There's plenty of independently wealthy individuals out there that I'm sure wouldn't mind getting a chance to put their name on the moon. Not to mention corporate sponsors.
posted 10-17-2007 15:36
