Lunar DIY kits

[Sparky]

One of the former Google LunarX prize contestants is planning to develop a $5000 kit to build a rocket capable of launching a small payload to the moon:

http://www.innovationnewsdaily.com/cheap-moon-rocket-balloon-2416/
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/717162578/lunar-rocket-for-5k

I'm skeptical that this can be done for the cost they claim, but it would undoubtedly be a game changer even if they sold a rocket capable of this for several times the price.

I apologize if this is in the wrong section...

[racshot65]

The best part of the kickstarter page is:

" ... 1oz item of your choice, delivered to the moon. Note, this item cannot be returned to you ... "

 

[brtbrt]

My bogus-o-meter was pegged by this little gem in the FAQ section of the kickstarter page:
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Many of the rewards say "delivered to low earth orbit altitude" does this mean the project's rocket will reach LEO (200,000km) altitude but not enter orbit?

Most of our launches will have the goal of reaching 350,000 km (Low Earth Orbit is approximately 200,000 km). We are working on the delivery method of the rewards for LEO, and may experiment with each method during launches.

Currently, we have two methods of delivery. One method is to have a separate module which detaches from the rocket as it achieves LEO altitude. The second method is orient the rocket, as it approaches it peak, so that it "falls" into LEO over time.

The advantage of the first method allows the rocket to travel farther per test, but the disadvantage is that the delivered items will most likely not be "in orbit". They will be at LEO altitude, but they will not have a velocity which allows them to maintain that altitude for a long period of time.

The advantage of the second method is that the reward items will achieve a degrading orbit, so will remain in space longer. However, this adds to the complexity of the rocket for short-length flights, as we will need to add additional navigation controls to steer the rocket into a degrading orbit once the peak has been achieved.
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[tigerade]

I'm selling a bridge, and its cheaper.