Americans are ready to organize commercial flights to the moon

20
The moon is the only natural satellite of our planet and the second brightest object in the earth’s sky after the Sun. At the same time, the Moon is the 5 of the largest natural satellite of the planets in our solar system. The average distance between the center of the Earth and the Moon is relatively small - 384 467 km (especially by the standards of space). In many ways, this is why the Moon is an attractive object for scientists and astronomers, various space programs, both public and private. The moon to this day remains the only astronomical object outside the Earth, on which a person’s foot has stepped.

At the beginning of December, 2012, the information appeared that the private company Golden Spike from the USA is ready to begin manned missions to the moon by the year 2020. At the same time, the cost of one flight should be 1,5 billion. Potential customers of Golden Spike, whose management includes some former managers and NASA specialists, will not be wealthy space tourists, although this direction will be further developed, but rather governments and states. The chairman of the board of directors of Golden Spike is one of the directors of NASA, Jerry Griffin, who was still known to the Apollo lunar program.



According to the company's founder, Alan Stern, who was the former head of NASA research missions, in the future Golden Spike will be able to give states the opportunity to send an expedition of 2 people to the surface of our natural satellite. According to him, the company is already engaged in negotiations with a number of countries of the world “both to the west and to the east” from the USA, hinting in such a way that the PRC may also be among the company's potential clients. Golden Spike builds its commercial strategy on a business model that was already created and tested by Russia in 1980-1990-s, when astronauts from many countries of the worlds could make a space flight to the Mir orbital station and conduct scientific experiments on it. In this case, flights were paid by the governments of the countries that sent cosmonauts to the station.
Americans are ready to organize commercial flights to the moon

The last 2,5 of the year, the company was engaged in the study of the architecture of these missions. At the moment, Golden Spike does not name its main investors, but among its consultants and directors is venture capitalist Esther Dyson, and among them is millionaire Newt Gingrich. According to preliminary data, the launch of the entire project is estimated at 7-8 billion dollars - the creation of spacecraft and their subsequent tests will cost the same amount. In order to minimize its costs, the American company intends to resort to partnership with other aerospace companies, as well as to use the already created ships and rockets. Ultimately, only a lunar landing module, as well as a lunar spacesuit, are planned to be developed directly from scratch. Among the partners Golden Spike are called Paragon Space Development, which is engaged in the creation of space suits and life support systems, as well as Masten Space Systems, which creates a spacecraft with vertical take-off and landing.

At the same time, the president of Golden Spike noted that for the success of this commercial enterprise, it is necessary to conclude not a contract for conducting lunar expeditions, not 3-4, but much more. It is no coincidence that experts are quite skeptical about this private project, recalling that at one time the American Apollo lunar program cost the country’s budget in terms of today's prices on the order of 110 billion, that is, about 18 billion for each landing on the Moon.

The preparation of such expeditions requires the investment of very large sums of money, says Scott Paice, assistant director of NASA, who coordinates space research at George Washington University. Jonathan MacDowell, an astronomer from Harvard University, agrees with his opinion. Both of them believe that the Golden Spike project is unlikely to have a successful future.

However, those who believe in the success of a commercial venture with flights to the moon, can now begin to save money. The cost of 2 tickets on board the manned spacecraft, as already indicated above, will be approximately 1,5 billion. In this case, the company Golden Spike expect to rely on existing technologies. For example, they expect to use Falcon Heavy heavy rockets, which were created by another private company, SpaceX. About 8 billion dollars in the company plan to spend on the development of their own landing module, lunar spacesuits and their tests.

The very concept, on which Golden Spike is going to rely, lies more in the organization of a kind of “commercial lines”, by analogy with the earth flights, than in the independent development of space modules, rockets and space suits. That is why SpaceX and the rather eccentric company Armadillo Aerospace, headed by John Carmack, are among the possible manufacturers of launch vehicles. It was she, as well as Paragon Space Development and Northrop Grumman, who should be engaged in spacesuits and descending lunar modules. It is worth noting that Armadillo Aerospace has yet to bring its rockets to mind, and SpaceX is now more interested in colonizing Mars, which requires completely different rockets from it.

However, Alan Stern, the founder of Golden Spike, is not discouraged: according to his calculations, the 20 countries around the world will want to be on the Moon for the price voiced by the company, some of them are for scientific interests, others are for reasons of prestige. In any case, for the first decades of this demand should be enough, in the end, space tourism has not been canceled yet, and the number of dollar billionaires and adventurers should not be underestimated, says Alan Stern. Answering journalists' questions about why the price of flights will be so low, especially in comparison with the previous American Apollo program, Golden Spike states that the very first start will also be quite expensive, all production costs will be included. 8 billion dollars. However, with subsequent launches, the price should plummet. This should happen “after putting the lunar missions on the conveyor”, as well as with the working out and haulage of the full reusability of all the participants in the program.

At the same time, of course, the main goal of the project continues to be scientific missions, for which prestige flights can only become a kind of prologue. As soon as the cost of visiting a natural satellite of the Earth by a pair of astronauts drops to the declared $ 1,5 billion, automated missions to the Moon of a similar cost - the average cost of a mission to the Moon like Lunokhod or Luna-24 - will be put to shame. At the same time, Golden Spike believes that landing a man on the moon has a greater return, since man is a much more universal being compared to all known today robots. The return from it will be higher than from automatic devices, which can be disabled by banal dust that has fallen on the photocells.

Information sources:
http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=977810&cid=2161
http://rus.ruvr.ru/2012_12_07/Amerikanci-vozobnovjat-poleti-na-Lunu
http://science.compulenta.ru/726421/
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  1. Alpha-omega
    0
    13 December 2012 08: 42
    They were silent for 40 years, now they remember.
    1. +2
      13 December 2012 18: 58
      Where they go to the moon, they don’t have engines, even their military satellites are put into orbit on our engines. The scam bubble is visible again.
  2. -2
    13 December 2012 09: 49
    People have nothing to do, although this is a huge income.
  3. demon ada
    0
    13 December 2012 09: 52
    while on the moon a man has nothing to do.
    let the robots work
    and safer and cheaper.
  4. snek
    0
    13 December 2012 10: 10
    The most developed private company in terms of commercial launches today is space x, and even for them to take people to the moon in 2020 is almost an unrealistic task.
  5. webdog
    0
    13 December 2012 11: 13
    as machines were more effective than people in space research, so in the future it will be with even greater efficiency of machines)))
    1. -1
      13 December 2012 17: 11
      even in these photos you can see how hodovka hodovka is on a lunar rover, with the maximum possibility of adhesion to loose soil, questions arise to the opponent
      1. snek
        0
        13 December 2012 17: 17
        Quote: AlexxxNik
        Even in these photos you can see how hodovka hodovka is on a lunar rover, with the maximum possibility of adhesion to loose soil, questions arise to the opponent

        By "opponent" you mean the Spirit rover? He seems to have been surfing Mars for 8 years already - so there are few questions about the effectiveness of his design.
  6. +2
    13 December 2012 11: 45
    And we are already there)))))))
    1. snek
      +4
      13 December 2012 12: 24
      Quote: SrgSoap
      And we are already there)))))))

      If. Remind me how many Russia (not to be confused with the USSR) successfully sent spacecraft further than Earth’s orbit?
      1. +1
        14 December 2012 00: 11
        Yes, like a joke, it was necessary to sign something, otherwise not upload a photo.
        And for space, of course, you are right, the soul hurts, and not in orbit, too, not very .... successfully. The last 2 years especially ...
        So I agree with you.
  7. strelok107
    0
    13 December 2012 13: 08
    in my opinion not one
  8. USNik
    0
    13 December 2012 14: 05
    The most developed private company in terms of commercial launches today is space x, and even for them to take people to the moon in 2020 is almost an unrealistic task.

    But it’s a pity, I really would like to see the starry sky against the background of the Earth in the photos and videos of the first tourists ...
    1. snek
      -1
      13 December 2012 14: 09
      Who argues. Unfortunately, humanity somehow eroded enthusiasm for space.
  9. Nechai
    0
    13 December 2012 14: 14
    Quote: Alpha-Omega
    They were silent for 40 years, now they remember.

    Well, I will "disappear" ALL original movies, photos, etc. materials to NASA from the "lunar" expeditions of the "Apolons", nadot somehow compensate. Otherwise, the Chinese people will have nothing to cover to their exposure of the myth of the discoverers on the Moon to jump onto the lunar surface! It is realistic to get ahead, but this is the task of the Chinese. About things that are long gone - well, so we (the Americans) famously bred Ivanov for bullshit. And they impeded their rapid exploration of outer space. All OK"! If this time the amers are not on the moon, then the long-standing bluff from propaganda success will turn into a bomb that is already undermining the foundations of the United States ...
    1. snek
      +1
      13 December 2012 16: 27
      It is impossible to falsify the traces of flights to the Moon, so if they were there then Chinese, European and our devices (I want to believe that we will return to the Great Space) will confirm the landing sites (especially since their coordinates are publicly accessible) if they (Americans) are there it wasn’t - then falsification will open. So far, everything speaks in favor of the fact that they were:

      Images of the lunar surface, transmitted from the Indian satellite Chandrayan-1, released from the Earth's control, confirmed the fact of the work of American astronauts on the moon during the Apollo-15 expedition in the summer of 1971. As a leading employee of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Prakash Chauhan told reporters, the images obtained with the help of a hyperspectral camera working on board the device, radio communication with which was interrupted at the end of August, serve as irrefutable evidence. They recorded both the lunar landing site and the tracks left by the wheels of the all-terrain vehicle used by astronauts to move on the Moon.

      http://izvestia.ru/news/457792
      According to the Japanese space agency JAXA, the Japanese Kaguya spacecraft also discovered possible traces of the Apollo 15 landing module

      More details here (but in English):
      http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/05/20080520_kaguya_e.html
      By the way, name experts in the field of space exploration (engineers working on space programs, scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences related to space exploration or astronauts) who would say that this is falsification? The opposite (that the Apollo program was a reality) was said by Leonov, Grechko, Feoktistov and Wolf.
      1. 0
        13 December 2012 17: 07
        said Leonov, Grechko, Feoktistov and the Wolf. firstly, our specialists from the platforms signed a subscription about the nondisclosure of their thoughts on this matter (I wonder why) and even after that the staff was thoroughly reshuffled, since the country is big http://supernovum.ru/public/index.php?chapter=20, secondly: the cosmonauts were as informed as all the inhabitants of the Earth, except for the USSR, the only difference is that they could listen to the broadcast of the "lunar" talks in the recording without a video sequence. Thirdly: India and Japan are not the most independent states, and even with the modern capabilities of "Photoshop", photographs cannot be trusted, and with "real" photographs, apart from comedy, nothing burns out, and God bless them, there you can explain that they have deteriorated and I had to finish filming at home, there are enough punctures without pictures, and there is no indisputable evidence yet.
        1. snek
          +1
          13 December 2012 17: 13
          Quote: AlexxxNik
          and the evidence is undeniable is not yet visible.

          Knowing the position of the "conspirators" I am sure that if they are personally taken to the moon and taken to the places of all landings, they will claim that it was either a particularly clever hypnosis or virtual reality. Not a single serious specialist has spoken out in support of the conspirators, only the Vyakya Mukhins) continue to tear off the veils and reveal the Truth in the interval between proving the importance of the "Spirit" in genetics.
          1. 0
            13 December 2012 17: 19
            I hope time will judge, unfortunately my option can be confirmed only when the states lose their military dominance, the stakes are too high for them
            1. snek
              0
              13 December 2012 17: 23
              Quote: AlexxxNik
              I hope time will judge, unfortunately my option can be confirmed only when the states lose their military dominance, the stakes are too high for them

              The Chinese are getting soaped up in the near future they really have nothing to cover the states.
      2. Alpha-omega
        0
        13 December 2012 20: 31
        For them, falsification is not a problem, and in the near future it is unlikely that someone will fly there. Therefore, it will not be possible for truly "independent" experts to verify this for a long time.
    2. Eraser
      0
      13 December 2012 17: 13
      Oh my God, what "ALL original movies, photos, etc. materials in NASA from the" lunar "expeditions of the" Apolons "", the TV signal is lost !!! accepted on Earth !!! first landing !!! from NASA’s archive, it’s on a bunch of other records. How many lunar expeditions were there?
  10. 0
    13 December 2012 15: 38
    hope by then to try to copy the rd-170 or to shoot powder on the accelerators smile
  11. sashka
    0
    13 December 2012 17: 22
    I hate it .. As my Teacher used to say .. Once they say that there is something .. But we have successfully "brought out" another satellite .. What else can we boast about? New promises? Modernization, pop-up, innovation ... bullshit, actually ..
  12. Misantrop
    +1
    13 December 2012 17: 24
    Here's another thing to find out (before carrying people), who hijacked the "Lunokhod"? Jokes aside, he is not in his usual place. The reflector of his antenna has been used for years as a kind of "reference point" on the surface. Not so long ago, he ... disappeared somewhere. Have the car thieves gotten there yet?
    1. snek
      +1
      13 December 2012 17: 26
      If not a duck, then maybe a small meteorite fell on it - a thing far from rare (on Earth they all burn up in the atmosphere).
    2. postman
      0
      13 December 2012 21: 23
      Quote: Misantrop
      who hijacked the Lunokhod?

      And which "disappeared"? 1st or 2nd?
      the "loss" probably "came" from here:
      http://www.space.com/2199-lunar-lost-search-spacecraft.html

      Quote: Misantrop
      Its antenna reflector has been used for years

      it does not have an "antenna" reflector, but simply a reflector (prisms supplied by the French) -to which a laser beam is sent

      the reflected signal from Lunokhod-2 has been received for a long time, and it is used to measure the distance to the Moon.
      Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) also discovered Lunokhod-1 (in 2010), now it can also be used for this purpose, for the first time in 37 years, since it was lost.
      The laser bunny from Lunokhod-1 was obtained by a team of scientists led by Tom Murphy from the University of San Diego. On April 22, scientists sent laser pulses to the desired area of ​​the moon from a three-meter telescope at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico. To the delight of Murphy and his colleagues, the bunny returned, and by the response delay it was possible to determine the distance to the lunar rover with an accuracy of 1 cm. During the second irradiation, done 30 minutes later, scientists were able to determine the coordinates of the lunar rover - latitude and longitude - with an error of 10 m.
      From Lunokhod01 received a reflected signal of 2000 photons (from L-2 only 750), a pulsed laser and a 3.5 meter telescope were used.


      The traces of Lunokhod-2 are clearly visible in the picture.




      The current LRO position is here:
      http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/whereislro/
  13. postman
    0
    13 December 2012 21: 49
    For eternal discussion: "Is there life on Mars, is there life on Mars" (That is, were the Americans on the Moon or were not)
    One of the best question (it seems to me) asked Reader Anton
    Do we get brains?
    1. A copy of the lunar module (1: 1 scale) of the Apollo program, which has been successfully lunched on our satellite six times, is located on the territory of the Benjamin Franklin Institute. Here is a photograph of it from Earth.

    2.And here are two photos from the Google map (most likely GeoEye-1 my) . The same module (or rather a copy)



    3.And here is the famous NASA image of the lunar module on the moon.

    And now a question for the experts on the moon.

    Do you know how far the LRO was, taking the module on the moon and the Google satellite, taking the exact copy of the module on Earth?
    =============================================
    AND WHY EVERYTHING IS SO?
  14. rocketman
    0
    14 December 2012 01: 34
    Quote: Postman
    Do you know how far the LRO was, taking the module on the moon and the Google satellite, taking the exact copy of the module on Earth?

    No, we don’t know. Enlighten!
    1. postman
      0
      14 December 2012 12: 51
      Quote: rocketman
      No, we don’t know. Enlighten!

      Before January 25, 2011: 50 km, after "diving" for 25 km. orbit
      The ratio of the images in the file.


      GeoEye-1 orbit altitude 681 km, tilt 98 °
  15. Insurgent 23
    +1
    14 December 2012 02: 15
    whatever motivational motifs of the lunar expeditions are, they are definitely for the benefit of all mankind in all branches of science and technology, if only everything works out!

  16. Horde
    -2
    14 December 2012 09: 24
    Americans are ready to organize commercial flights to the moon


    pin dosam would be nice at first in kind on the moon to visit at least once!
  17. 0
    7 January 2016 15: 33
    Once they laughed at the Wright brothers. And they flew.

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