A program on TV going to the moon

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nec208

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I watch good program on TV about NASA wantting to go to the moon around 2020 ? Why so long ? I thought the press report was around 2014?

Why does it take so long to test and built a rocket like 15 to 20 years? Also they say they are going to use 2 rockets one for people and one for payload to go to the moon why is that? Why not one rocket like in the 60's
 
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Solifugae

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It didn't take this long to go the moon the first time round after the proposals were made. I understand the lean budget, but I wonder if someone other than NASA can beat them to the punch? Could a much cheaper, revolutionary non-governmental program get there in five years or so?
 
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Boris_Badenov

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Solifugae":2jjpd42w said:
I understand the lean budget, but I wonder if someone other than NASA can beat them to the punch? Could a much cheaper, revolutionary non-governmental program get there in five years or so?
Sure. But it still comes down to money. It costs billions. Why would a company or corporation spend that much money for no return?
The only way a business entity will go to The Moon or any other space destination would be for a profit. Period.
 
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Solifugae

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Or some random billionaire goes "I really want to go to/astronauts to go to the moon." and spends a sizable chunk of their fortune to ensure that that happens.
 
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nec208

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Boris_Badenov":2zktbq49 said:
Solifugae":2zktbq49 said:
I understand the lean budget, but I wonder if someone other than NASA can beat them to the punch? Could a much cheaper, revolutionary non-governmental program get there in five years or so?
Sure. But it still comes down to money. It costs billions. Why would a company or corporation spend that much money for no return?
The only way a business entity will go to The Moon or any other space destination would be for a profit. Period.

Well Virgin Galactic and SpaceX was to go in servince in 2010 and now it looks like it will not go in servince to 2012. And I see no other company working on rockets at this time.
 
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BossFan

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I have always wondered why someone who is very rich not fund something like this.
I mean what a Buzz (no buzz joke intended there :D ) it would be for that person.
 
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nec208

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BossFan":2fqwi1mz said:
I have always wondered why someone who is very rich not fund something like this.
I mean what a Buzz (no buzz joke intended there :D ) it would be for that person.

The only 2 companies I know of working on space flight are Virgin Galactic and SpaceX .
 
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menellom

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SpaceX - Falcon 1 (completed, has launched), Falcon 9 (completed, first launch is in a month), Falcon 9 Heavy (same as Falcon 9 but with boosters), Dragon spacecraft (expected to be done within two to three years).

Virgin Galactic - SpaceShipOne/WhiteKnightOne (completed, has flown suborbital flights), SpaceShipTwo/WhiteKnightTwo (completed, finished testing, expected to start suborbital flights next year), SpaceShipThree (planned, may be low LEO or suborbital)

Bigelow Aerospace - Prototypes for BA-330 inflatable habitation module Genesis I and II (completed, launched, in orbit now), completed module expected to launch by 2012 and would be used in construction of cheap ($100M per module) commercial space stations for LEO research, space tourism, etc, with extension of ISS through 2020 it may also provide cheap module extensions to the space station.

United Launch Alliance - Merger of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, designed and operated Delta II, Delta IV and Atlas V rockets. Are currently considering the idea of man-rating the Atlas V.

Blue Origin - Single stage to suborbital altitude spacecraft 'New Shepard' in testing.

Orbital Sciences Corporation - Taurus I (completed, has launched), Taurus II (completed, has launched), Cygnus spacecraft (in development, demonstration flight planned for later this year)

SpaceDev - Dream Chaser spaceplane (in development, plans for completion by 2014) would launch on ULA man-rated Atlas V

That's all the one's I can think of off the top of my head.
 
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MeteorWayne

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Nice Summary, and accurate for those you listed.

There may be others that some will mention, but those are the ones that have some distance off the powerpoint presentation.
 
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