Author Topic: GLXP Update Thread  (Read 93313 times)

Offline spectre9

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2403
  • Australia
  • Liked: 42
  • Likes Given: 68
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #40 on: 12/10/2011 12:44 am »
If any team makes it to the moon it will cost more than the prizemoney.

That's why this particular X-prize is the slowest most boring of them all and has the most chance of never getting done.

Offline Moe Grills

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 780
  • Liked: 27
  • Likes Given: 1
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #41 on: 12/10/2011 07:11 am »
Just to make sure - who is they that you refer to?
Because if you said it in the context of video I linked to - the year that appears there is 2013. And even if it won't be 2013, but 2014 or even never, your attitude is still very rude.

Space IL. Their website says "by the end of next year." I wish them all the best, but extreme-overly-optimistic statements like that damage their credibility in my opinion.
    Did it ever occur to you, Jason, that IL might get some 'unofficial' help
from the Israeli Defense Force?
  The IDF does have surplus 'obsolete' Jericho 1 missiles, one of which may be 'donated' to IL, converted to a first-stage booster. mounted with a couple of other lesser missiles (such as converted tankbusters, or PSTAM's) to form upper-stages and voila! You have the means to launch
something measured in kilograms to the Moon.

Offline douglas100

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2177
  • Liked: 227
  • Likes Given: 105
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #42 on: 12/10/2011 10:04 pm »
Rockets aren't Legos. Where is your evidence for this?
Douglas Clark

Offline racshot65

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2577
  • Aaron Kalair
  • Coventry, England
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #43 on: 12/11/2011 08:57 am »

Offline oldAtlas_Eguy

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5304
  • Florida
  • Liked: 5005
  • Likes Given: 1444
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #44 on: 12/11/2011 03:10 pm »
Moon Express Inc - Shooting for the moon — to mine it

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-naveen-jain-20111210,0,4780820,full.story

Interesting article, I find this as the most important part:

Quote
Do you expect MoonEx to be profitable?

We wouldn't be doing it if we didn't think it could be a profitable business.

I find this a realistic acknowledgement because he used “could be” instead of “will be”, an acknowledgement of the high risks from a business profitability point. The Moon holds great promise but remains a problem of the execution in order to close the business case. It’s this execution which involves the technology as well as the cost of the LV just to get off of Earth, minimizing the costs while maximizing the sustainable revenue (at greater than the costs) is what will close the business case, something that holds great profits but also great business risks.

Offline savuporo

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5152
  • Liked: 1002
  • Likes Given: 342
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #45 on: 03/06/2012 12:54 am »
Had not noticed this, but Astrobotic postponed their plans, is now planning to land on the south pole and drill for ice.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_784867.html

Can you say, feature creep ?
Orion - the first and only manned not-too-deep-space craft

Offline go4mars

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3748
  • Earth
  • Liked: 158
  • Likes Given: 3463
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #46 on: 03/06/2012 07:39 pm »
Can you say, feature creep ?
Can I say "frickin awesome" instead? 

Thanks for posting that article.  That's really interesting news!  I wonder what the Chinese will think of Astrobotic taking their crater! 

Important science could certainly be done. 

Plus the headlines will be prone toward excitement.  It's a good story: "Some guys cobble together a space ship on a shoe-string budget to drill into an ice deposit on the moon.  Characterization of the ice deposits could enable lower cost access to our solar system.  Now claiming to be a sovereign tech civilization, our new lunar overlords have decided to rename the moon "Castle Greencheese" after their chemical analysis came back from areas of uncovered outcrop.  'Nice ice for sale, ten cents a pail', reads their new sign."   

(quick exit to stage right)
« Last Edit: 03/06/2012 07:50 pm by go4mars »
Elasmotherium; hurlyburly Doggerlandic Jentilak steeds insouciantly gallop in viridescent taiga, eluding deluginal Burckle's abyssal excavation.

Offline oldAtlas_Eguy

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5304
  • Florida
  • Liked: 5005
  • Likes Given: 1444
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #47 on: 03/06/2012 07:47 pm »
Can you say, feature creep ?
Can I say "frickin awesome" instead? 

Thanks for posting that article.  That's really interesting news!  I wonder what the Chinese will think of Astrobotic taking their crater! 

The difference between a stunt (visiting an Apollo site) and performing a real exploratory mission that has tremendous commercial and scientific repercussions.

Offline savuporo

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5152
  • Liked: 1002
  • Likes Given: 342
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #48 on: 03/07/2012 02:53 am »
The problem is, you can always keep adding features and make the promised end result more awesome, and never actually launch anything. Not saying that this is Astrobotic's path, and they have strong other reasons to delay ( *cough* SpaceX ).

Just getting it up there, claiming the GLXP, and THEN doing ver2.0 would have been a lower risk path.
Orion - the first and only manned not-too-deep-space craft

Offline QuantumG

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9238
  • Australia
  • Liked: 4477
  • Likes Given: 1108
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #49 on: 03/07/2012 03:01 am »
It's how they're paying for the mission.. the whole point of X-Prizes is that they're insufficient to cover the costs of actually winning the prize.. the prize therefore becomes a stimulus or focus for economic activity.
Human spaceflight is basically just LARPing now.

Offline JohnFornaro

  • Not an expert
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10974
  • Delta-t is an important metric.
  • Planet Eaarth
    • Design / Program Associates
  • Liked: 1257
  • Likes Given: 724
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #50 on: 03/07/2012 02:08 pm »
MoonExpress rox.
Sometimes I just flat out don't get it.

Offline spectre9

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2403
  • Australia
  • Liked: 42
  • Likes Given: 68
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #51 on: 03/08/2012 05:01 am »
Not visiting a historic site seems like throwing money away.  ???

Offline synchrotron

  • Member
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 302
  • Liked: 6
  • Likes Given: 13
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #52 on: 03/08/2012 01:37 pm »
MoonExpress rox.

Is this sarcasm?

Offline RanulfC

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4595
  • Heus tu Omnis! Vigilate Hoc!
  • Liked: 900
  • Likes Given: 32
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #53 on: 03/08/2012 08:50 pm »
Not visiting a historic site seems like throwing money away.  ???
Considering the amount of "suggested" procedures for visiting said historic site, (you have read the NASA suggested procedures even for a robotic visit haven't you? :) ) and the amount of hassel having to "coordinate" any such visit with NASA, I'd have thought they would have opted for one of the other sites a while ago...

Randy
From The Amazing Catstronaut on the Black Arrow LV:
British physics, old chap. It's undignified to belch flames and effluvia all over the pad, what. A true gentlemen's orbital conveyance lifts itself into the air unostentatiously, with the minimum of spectacle and a modicum of grace. Not like our American cousins' launch vehicles, eh?

Offline spectre9

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2403
  • Australia
  • Liked: 42
  • Likes Given: 68
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #54 on: 03/08/2012 10:45 pm »
Is all that hassle really not worth a million bucks?  ???

Offline Wyvern

  • Member
  • Posts: 99
  • Welp here I am
  • Calgary
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #55 on: 03/10/2012 06:26 am »
While visiting an historical site would have, erm, historical value the truth is that visiting the ice deposits will have a much greater value as a result of industrial concerns.

Personally I hope that the Eagle landing site will someday be investigated by a flying (would that be the right word?) vehicle/robot.  Would probably do very little to any damage using that route. 
Darn it where is my Moon base!

Offline JohnFornaro

  • Not an expert
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10974
  • Delta-t is an important metric.
  • Planet Eaarth
    • Design / Program Associates
  • Liked: 1257
  • Likes Given: 724
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #56 on: 03/13/2012 12:33 pm »
MoonExpress rox.

Is this sarcasm?

Not at all.  I like what they're doing. 

I read their website cover to cover the other day.  Also took a couple of googols on other web mentions of their work.  What I'd like to know is who is building their EDS?  I thought that an F9 could possibly land one mT on the Moon but they only propose landing 100kg.  It wouldn't surprise me to learn that my numbers are off by this amount.
« Last Edit: 03/13/2012 12:37 pm by JohnFornaro »
Sometimes I just flat out don't get it.

Offline savuporo

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5152
  • Liked: 1002
  • Likes Given: 342
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #57 on: 03/27/2012 04:13 pm »
Can't post the link right now, but just saw this in my news feeds: a Spanish GLXP team signed a launch contract with Chinese for a launch on Long March 3b in 2014.

Also making them subject to ITAR
Orion - the first and only manned not-too-deep-space craft

Offline racshot65

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2577
  • Aaron Kalair
  • Coventry, England
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #58 on: 03/27/2012 04:45 pm »
Can't post the link right now, but just saw this in my news feeds: a Spanish GLXP team signed a launch contract with Chinese for a launch on Long March 3b in 2014.

Also making them subject to ITAR

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2012/03/23/glxp-news-barcelona-moon-team-signs-agreement-for-chinese-launch/

Offline Galactic Penguin SST

Re: GLXP Update Thread
« Reply #59 on: 10/22/2012 10:36 am »
Sorry to bump this thread, but do we know which of the teams have any reasonable chance of getting the prize before the deadline?
Astronomy & spaceflight geek penguin. In a relationship w/ Space Shuttle Discovery. Current Priority: Chasing the Chinese Spaceflight Wonder Egg & A Certain Chinese Mars Rover

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
1