Golden Spike announce Phase A for commercial lunar landing missions

[simonbp]

[Chris Bergin]

Q) On advanced sales and "national prestige".

Alan: We don't see countries around the world build their own airliners. You get better reliability by doing it with us (experience). Cites Korea, South Africa as examples. It'd cost them a great deal more to do it themselves.

[aquanaut99]

GS gets a FAIL on mass communications for something so EPIC... .

Well, it's out on yahoo news. Oh, and check out the first reader reactions, so encouraging... NOT.

http://news.yahoo.com/moon-firm-hopes-sell-1-5-billion-trips-181057374--finance.html

[Ben the Space Brit]

Something new....Mr Stern notes they have spoken - and have interest - from some national space agencies.

I'd bet that ISRO are in there somewhere.  However, as with my comment on 'national prestige', don't expect too much overt support until they demonstrate they can get people in space.

[Chris Bergin]

Something new....Mr Stern notes they have spoken - and have interest - from some national space agencies.

I bet that includes NASA. A moon shot for 1.4 Billion $ by an US-based company, that's an offer they can't refuse without it leading to major political fallout.

No, it doesn't include NASA.

"Per associations Golden Spike’s own associations with NASA, the company does not have any current plans of cooperation on lunar surface missions," - in the article by someone called Chris Bergin (never heard of him personally)

[Chris Bergin]

Q) Have you had conversations with customers?

Alan: We don't disclose those details. Have spoken to space agencies in foreign countries (mentioned Europe and I think Asia).

Alan wants to stress the line that they can fly a lunar crewed mission for the cost of a (planetary) robotic mission. Says there's a sex appeal to fly your own astros.

Where they launch will depend on the vehicle they choose. Not limited to domestic launch vehicles....it's a question for 2014.

[Chris Bergin]

Falcon Heavy is the vehicle of preference for the two launch architecture.

[Tea Party Space Czar]

Something new....Mr Stern notes they have spoken - and have interest - from some national space agencies.

I bet that includes NASA. A moon shot for 1.4 Billion $ by an US-based company, that's an offer they can't refuse without it leading to major political fallout.

No, it doesn't include NASA.

"Per associations Golden Spike’s own associations with NASA, the company does not have any current plans of cooperation on lunar surface missions," - in the article by someone called Chris Bergin (never heard of him personally)

Chris - I would just add that there is no way the House and Senate would go for this.  You are talking about the complete disruption of funds to Orion and SLS from HEO.

While it makes perfect economic and fiscal sense - the political cost is way too much.

Respectfully,
Andrew Gasser
TEA Party in Space

[neoforce]

http://goldenspikecompany.com/ is now up and running

(Made it clickable - Chris - PS welcome to the site's forum

[StephenB]

Falcon Heavy is the vehicle of preference for the two launch architecture.

If so, it would be nice to see a press release from SpaceX.

[Chris Bergin]

Lots of questions still about money. Lots of "we're setting up a railroad to the moon" "a service to the moon".

[simonbp]

Grainy picture from the website:

[Ben the Space Brit]

Cross-posted from Yahoo! News:
This is a tough one to turn into reality.  The space fan in me wants this to happen and to work but the realist in me wonders where the money is coming from.  There are plenty of countries, companies and even private individuals that would like to go to the Moon but I can't see any of them making a deposit until Golden Spike get at least one spacecraft into space and demonstrate that they can deliver on the lander.  The lander's the big issue, BTW - It's going to be safety-critical and will need lots of careful development and testing that could suck up cash and time.

As for spacesuits? Available off-the-shelf.  Capsules are also going to shortly available off-the-shelf (Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp are all building lunar-capable spacecraft as we speak).  The real issue is and always will be: "Show me the money."

That said...? Well, nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without people risking their personal wealth, their reputations and even their lives in the pursuit of a dream.  Erik Leifsson, Christopher Columbus, Orville Wright and Charles Lindberg would all understand.  Best of luck to you all, gents, and shame on all the sneering people shouting from the sidelines who wouldn't understand a reach for greatness even if it were thrust upon them.


[edit]

Grainy picture from the website:

Looks like a fairly conventional EOR-LOR-LOR-Direct architecture; pretty much the basic non-HLV-based lunar mission plan.  Obviously they didn't want to risk anything on technologies like prop transfer, at least for this "Phase A".  I find myself wondering what "Phase B" and later will be...

[apace]

Question will be, if they have the money until they can show some hardware. I'm sure their architecture will be rock solid, to much experienced people involved. A soon as they can show what they want to fly, I see some political changes to support this US adventure for sure!

[simonbp]

http://goldenspikecompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/French-et-al.-Architecture-Paper-in-AIAA-Journal-of-Spacecraft-and-Rockets.pdf

[Chris Bergin]

They will announce customers when confirmed.

[DLR]

"Per associations Golden Spike’s own associations with NASA, the company does not have any current plans of cooperation on lunar surface missions," - in the article by someone called Chris Bergin (never heard of him personally)

Not yet.

I find it hard to believe that NASA astronauts would take Orion on a shakedown cruise around the Moon while South African or Brasilian astronauts are doing field work on the Moon, using American rockets to get there! That could never be justified politically, especially in a time of worldwide fiscal frugality.

[Chris Bergin]

Some backtracking.....Mr Griffin: NASA could be a customer for something small on the moon. We would like to put them on their railroad.

[apace]

On the companies logos PDF, there's Northrop Grumman listed. Any idea what's their part?

[RanulfC]

Ok, I choked when I saw the Logo

Replace the "moon" with trunicated "sun" beams and that was the logo for the "Golden Spike" arena about 10 years ago

Interesting stuff so far, can't wait to hear more

"Per associations Golden Spike’s own associations with NASA, the company does not have any current plans of cooperation on lunar surface missions," - in the article by someone called Chris Bergin (never heard of him personally)

Now come on, who are you going to believe here? Out and out internet speculation of some silly guy who bases his "opinion-pieces" on nasty little things like facts? I think this "Bergin" guy is just trying to ride the coattails of others...

(Kick-butt article as usual though )

Randy