Who do we *want* to win the Google Lunar X-Prize?
The Google Lunar X-Prize is
poised to really engage the public in the exploration of the Moon.
How thrilling it will be to watch different teams competing to get
to the Moon first, and watch their live video feeds of planet Earth!
It is probable that the group that wins the prize will go on to help shape
the direction of commercial/public exploration of the moon for the near future.
So we should ask what values and principles do we want to extend to human
activities on the Moon? Which of the teams competing for the Prize do you
want to win ? Should it be a big corporation like Boeing, or Lockeed
Martin (who could easily do it), or a Univeristy (like Carnegie Mellon) or a
private entreprenuel group (Like Burt Rutan).
Who do you think would be the best group to win?
Good question, astropaul!
If you want sustainability (and I do), behemoths like LM/Boing are not a good choice. Why?
Coz in order to go from where we are (actually, were) - i.e. Apollo hardware, and/or Space Shuttle, to something that is sustainable, i.e. reusable and commercially affordable, we need a radically different approach.
But different approaches and new things are just not the way big guys do their thing. And even if they try, they fail miserably - check out e.g. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/washington/11satellite.html?pagewanted...
In order to have something truly different, we need radical new ideas, and resources and management skills to make those ideas happen.
Universities could be possible nurseries for such ideas, but IMHO only guys like Rutan or Musk have the right stuff to make it happen..
I don't care who wins... I just want to see a winner... and the sooner the better!
The X-prize got people thinking about space again. Before that award many people hardly thought about space and few people in the general public were thinking about privatized space exploration.
Regardless of who wins, the effect will be awe inspiring for many...
If a team outside of the US wins it will probably lead to increased NASA funding... so perhaps I should be cheering those groups on!
If it's a University group then it is more likely that the technology will become more available for public consumption of knowledge... so thats a good secondary choice for me.
But in the end... I just want to see a team win!
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Joined: 2007-11-15