NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

Palomar · 2004-04-11 16:12:40

[http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketscience-04i.html]Click

*Projects "prototypes flying" by 2009 or 2008. Projects eventual crews to Jupiter on decades-long missions to its moons? Huh.

--Cindy

Mundaka · 2004-04-11 17:09:34

Mad Grad Student · 2004-04-13 21:13:42

Hopefully, NASA will follow up with this sort of idea, it's a great chance for a fresh change from their years-late, billions-over-budget designing process. I'm a big proponent of operations like [http://xprize.org]the X-Prize. The idea makes everybody happy, at best, and doesn't hurt anyone (much) at worst. Think about it, when you lay out a goal like the X-Prize you don't pay a cent more than the original estimate, there's no possibility of ost overruns. Additionally, if no one measures up to the competition not one penny spent, no harm done to the organization, just some lost money to anyone who might have been trying. Already the X-Prize has prompted $50 million of research for a $10 million prize! Try to beat that with a NASA-style funding program.

What I would love to see is NASA taking up this approach as well. They could start right now, say, $100 million to the first team to go to the Moon. $100 million is nowhere near enough to allow any technology today, so it would provoke new development. In addtion, big corporations like Lockheed Martin and Boeing wouldn't go for it, so it would attract newcomers to the scene. In about ten years I'd say it would be entirely possible for a company like [http://scaled.com]Scaled Composites or [http://canadianarrow.com]Canadian Arrow to extrapolate on their X-Prize vehicles and get to the Moon. It won't be easy, but as JFK said: "We choose to go to the Moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard!"

After that, maybe $500 million for a Moon base and $5 billion for a manned Mars mission. By the time of the Mars prize the previous prizes would have developed enough new technology to make a $5 billion Mars mission possible. I don't see how the government could say no to that, but just in case these prizes make all the funding come from private sources. Everybody wins!

Euler · 2004-04-13 22:05:11

What I would love to see is NASA taking up this approach as well. They could start right now, say, $100 million to the first team to go to the Moon. $100 million is nowhere near enough to allow any technology today, so it would provoke new development. In addtion, big corporations like Lockheed Martin and Boeing wouldn't go for it, so it would attract newcomers to the scene. In about ten years I'd say it would be entirely possible for a company like Scaled Composites or Canadian Arrow to extrapolate on their X-Prize vehicles and get to the Moon. It won't be easy, but as JFK said: "We choose to go to the Moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard!"

The difference between the X-Prize's 100km suborbital flight and going to the moon is a lot more than you think. Set the $100 million prize for an orbital flight. If the companies can acheive that, then you can start thinking about the Moon and Mars.

SBird · 2004-04-14 10:50:41

It's interesting to note that SpaceShipOne , if equipped with a disposable SRB booster, couldbe used as a launch platform to get 10 kg or so into LEO. Given the low cost of operation for SpaceShipOne, it represents a nice opportunity for universities to get material into space for cheap.

Palomar · 2004-04-15 13:34:08

I don't see how the government could say no to that, but just in case these prizes make all the funding come from private sources. Everybody wins!

*Excellent points, Mad Grad Student.

[http://www.spacedaily.com/news/spacetravel-04o.html]On a related note...

You can send a keepsake, memento, photograph, business card, etc., into space and have it -returned- to you (I like THIS idea as opposed to other ideas of littering the Moon with paper items) by Beyond-Earth Enterprises (an X-prize competitor). They're calling it a "MissionOne consumer-based launch," beginning in autumn of this year (just in time for the holidays...nice extra "catch" <grin>).

"Consumers will be able to track their keepsakes through a special website and will be able to watch the launch through a webcast of the event. All products include a certificate of launch and return the launched item to the consumer."

Cost is $149.95. ("Significant savings are available at the website for a limited time.")

This is a really cool idea; I love it.

--Cindy

SBird · 2004-04-16 11:45:27

That's pretty cool. I've always felt that any sort of space gimmick plan (not necessarily a derogatory term in this case) has got to at least get below a few hundred, preferrably one hundred bucks. As soon as you hit that, you can start reaping the Sharper Image crowd out there with small amounts of cash to burn. It's a steady but reliable source of income that gets milked for billions each year. It'll never lead to a sustainable space civilization but it's a great way for a small space startup to fund larger launchers for more serious work.

Mad Grad Student · 2004-04-16 21:09:58

You can send a keepsake, memento, photograph, business card, etc., into space and have it -returned- to you

Hm, I wonder what else you could send along. I guess just about anything taht would fit into the buissness card compartment that wasn't made out of liquid hydrogen or something. If that's the case, I'd be compelled to send some other items along with a photo (Don't have a buissness card yet). I think it would be really cool to send something like a fingernail in the envelope, that way at least a "part" of you gets to fly into space. Granted it's just a slab of dead, skin-poduced keatin, but that's better than nothing. I fully intend to go into space myslef someday, but this will be good for now.

What else could you send? This is just me, but I love making paper airplanes, so perhaps a paper airplane folded up to fit into the compartment. Every time you fly it around the house you'd know that it's actually left the planet and then come back home. Then again, it might not be such a good idea, could cause you to envy a piece of paper. :laugh: Since I mentioned before that I don't have any buissness cards of myself, I'd try to go with something more personal, a folded-up poem, story, etc. Overall, this is a really cool idea, kudos to Beyond-Earth.

Now if only I could convince my parents to do this for $80... :hm:

Palomar · 2004-04-17 05:23:35

You can send a keepsake, memento, photograph, business card, etc., into space and have it -returned- to you
Hm, I wonder what else you could send along. I guess just about anything taht would fit into the buissness card compartment ... I think it would be really cool to send something like a fingernail in the envelope, that way at least a "part" of you gets to fly into space. Granted it's just a slab of dead, skin-poduced keatin, but that's better than nothing. I fully intend to go into space myself someday, but this will be good for now... What else could you send? ...

*How about a swath of your hair, affixed to a piece of scotch tape?

--Cindy

::EDIT:: Maybe prepare a mock business card, created in a fashion as if you were already on Mars (or wherever) as a scientist or businessman, etc. I've seen "make your own" business card machines in malls. Not sure what all the options are, etc., or if they're still "in vogue" (I haven't seen the machine in our mall for a while...).

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#1 2004-04-11 16:12:40

Re: NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

#2 2004-04-11 17:09:34

Re: NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

#3 2004-04-13 21:13:42

Re: NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

#4 2004-04-13 22:05:11

Re: NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

#5 2004-04-14 10:50:41

Re: NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

#6 2004-04-15 13:34:08

Re: NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

#7 2004-04-16 11:45:27

Re: NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

#8 2004-04-16 21:09:58

Re: NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

#9 2004-04-17 05:23:35

Re: NASA Considers Fly-Off Competition - for New Manned Launcher

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