Private Moon Landing in the works: "Golden Spike"

[bananas]

From a messageboard (which is not associated with NASA despite it's name):

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=30367.0

Private Moon Landing in the works?

« on: 11/15/2012 08:08 PM »

From Chris' latest article:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/11/exploration-alternatives-propellant-depots-commercial-lunar-base/

source information acquired by L2 this week revealed plans for a “game-changing” announcement as early as December that a new commercial space company intends to send commercial astronauts to the moon by 2020.

According to the information, the effort is led by a group of high profile individuals from the aerospace industry and backed by some big money and foreign investors. The company intends to use “existing or soon to be existing launch vehicles, spacecraft, upper stages, and technologies” to start their commercial manned lunar campaign.

The details point to the specific use of US vehicles, with a basic architecture to utilize multiple launches to assemble spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The details make direct reference to the potential use of propellant depots and fuel transfer technology.

Additional notes include a plan to park elements in lunar orbit, staging a small lunar lander that would transport two commercial astronauts to the surface for short stays.

<snip>

some tweets from nasawatch (also not affiliated with NASA):

https://twitter.com/NASAWatch/status/269511346649968641

Company named "Golden Spike" composed of Shuttle, Apollo & planetary science veterans apparently working on a commercial human Moon mission

https://twitter.com/NASAWatch/status/269518325254598656

"Golden Spike" commercial lunar exploration company includes Wayne Hale, Jerry Griffin, Alan Stern

https://twitter.com/NASAWatch/status/269524199163453440

"Golden Spike" commercial lunar exploration company has @HomerHickam on its board of advisors

[louis-t]

1. I cannot see how they plan to make money doing this.

[struggle4progress]

2. It won't happen: it's expensive as hell, and there's no real commercial payback

Plus, it's really not that easy to get all the details right

If the Apollo program cost $24 billion, adjusting for inflation will take the cost to about $150 in current dollars. And if you think you just get to go there for the price of one Apollo trip, you're wrong -- because there's a lot of stuff you gotta get correct, and the only way to get it correct is by lots and lots of trials

[Scuba]

3. Millionaire masturbation.

[bananas]

4. Paragon Space Development is also involved w/ Golden Spike commercial lunar company

https://twitter.com/NASAWatch/status/269556847785148416

Paragon Space Development is also involved w/ Golden Spike commercial lunar company

[LongTomH]

5. NASA would probably be their largest customer, along with other national space agencies.

I doubt they could make a go of this on space tourism alone. I read some of the posts on the NASAspaceflight forum; that seems to be the opinion over there as well.

It would be interesting to read a business plan for this consortium.