R
rogers_buck
Guest
Just looking at the available options, I think I see an opportunity to greatly enhance mans lunar explorations. It has to do with mass production.<br /><br />I am inspired by three things.<br />1) Pegasus type launchers could be mass produced and thereby realize significant cost reductions.<br />2) ESAs recent lunar mission used ion propulsion.<br />3) The Soyuz landing system adapted to Russian millitary supply drops.<br /><br />The basic idea is you design a standard supply jerry can that weighs a few hundred pounds. The can will be mass produced and will have solar power arrays, an ion motor, and a Soyuzian retro/air bag landing system. The jerry cans could be made of carbon fiber for strength and could survive significant G forces. The ion drives could be mass produced cheaply and so could the Soyuzian landing packs. A good target price for the cans would be ~$50K/each. A good target price for each launcher would be around $400K.<br /><br />The mission profile would be to air launch the Pegasus style vehicle and place the jerry can in sun synch orbit. The ion drive would then fire up and the jerry can would take a long leasurely trip to the moon. Upon arriving at the moon the can would fire the breaking rockets and endure a cushioned landing at 50G or so.<br /><br />Some time in the future, Astronauts will land and harvest the supplies from the jerry cans. Water, oxygen, fuel, MREs, whatever.<br /><br />What do ya think?<br /><br />