Oh No It Isn't...

Sorry, I'm channeling the Panto from last night.

I, Cringely . The Pulpit . Revolution, Not Evolution | PBS

A little while ago Cringely decided to go for the Google Lunar X Prize.  I was dubious.  I still am, more so having read this.

Couple of things from here: But as a guy who has been evaluating technologies and technologyprograms for 30 years, the nature of the space culture is beginning toemerge.  I get nervous when people say things like this.  Sometimes things are not done the way they are because the people who do them are wrong, it's because they're just bleedin' hard.

Our budget to win the Google Lunar X Prize has grown from $3 million to $5 million, where it will stop.  Now, I think I could see how to build a remote controlled rover that could survive the journey and work on the moon for that budget.  Try as hard as I might I can't think of a way to get the payload to the moon for that kind of money.  You might be able to piggy back on an LEO launch and use some kind of long duration gravity loops to get to the moon.  You might be able to do all this in a weight budget that would leave room for a small rover.  But I'm still not convinced.

I wish space was easy, I really really really do.  It's not. :(

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