News Private flights to the moon

[agentgonzo]

RKK Energia in talks about private flights to the moon:
http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/19/0331210/RKK-Energia-Confirms-Private-Trip-To-the-Moon

 

[indonesianorbinaut]

i just can say "WOW it's very cool "

 

[Ark]

The first people to leave LEO in half a century are going to be a couple of russians and an obscenely rich tourist?

That's kind of depressing. Come on, Musk, you can beat the ruskies to it.

 

[Wishbone]

Could be worse, hur, hemm. Could be 3 obscenely rich tourists.

 

[Ark]

Could be worse, hur, hemm. Could be 3 obscenely rich tourists.

I'd support that plan. Let's see the Koch brothers and Carlos Slim try to execute an accurate LOI/TEI burn. :lol:

 

[RisingFury]

Wow indeed. Too bad it won't happen.

 

[Codz]

I'm tired of seeing these rich idiots buy their way into space while real astronauts and cosmonauts work for years just to get their application looked at. /rant

 

[T.Neo]

It should be noted that "rich idiots" who have flown into space so far have also had to undergo cosmonaut training. They might not be cosmonauts by career but they weren't totally ignorant either.

 

[Codz]

It should be noted that "rich idiots" who have flown into space so far have also had to undergo cosmonaut training. They might not be cosmonauts by career but they weren't totally ignorant either.

I never said they were completely ignorant, however they are not nearly as deserving as half the people that apply and fail.

 

[T.Neo]

How can you say that? I am not downplaying the massive effort and disappointment some people have when intending to fly into space, but a lot of these people also put effort into making the money they would eventually spend on spaceflight, and they also put quite a bit of effort into training for the mission (like their cosmonaut peers).

There are a whole lot of factors that factor into it, but it isn't as simple as just saying "this person does not deserve this".

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Russia’s Space Tourism Ventures: Where Things Stand:

Space Adventures’ bold plan to send a pair of billionauts around the moon aboard a modified Soyuz seems to be largely on track. Back in May, company officials said that if they hoped to sign up a second paying passenger, at $150 million per seat, by the end of the year. If they were successful, then a flight could take place by late 2015, with a test flight preceding it by about a year.

Last week, a Space Adventures official said the schedule could slip a bit. “Such a flight is feasible in 2016-2017,” said Sergei Kostenko, who heads up Space Adventures’ Russian office.

The Virginia-based company has already sold one ticket for the lunar trip. A second paying passenger is required for work to begin on the project, which would take about four years to implement. The modified Soyuz vehicle would be attached to an upper stage/habitation module for the six-day trip around the moon.

 

[N_Molson]

I would be really curious to see that. The first manned Lunar Pass since Apollo 17.

 

[Columbia42]

Does anyone know who bought the first ticket? I heard somewhere that they wanted to kept anonymous or something.

 

[T.Neo]

a pair of billionauts

:lol:

I'm adopting that word and will use it anywhere suitable from now on.

I would be really curious to see that. The first manned Lunar Pass since Apollo 17.

Yeah... done by... Russia!

And Billionauts!

Pity the USSR couldn't get to the Moon, but it seems their successor state is further ahead than the USA...

Does anyone know who bought the first ticket? I heard somewhere that they wanted to kept anonymous or something.

I think they wanted to keep it highly anonymous, but there was talk- pure talk, pure internet rumor, I think, about it being James Cameron.

He would sign up for such a thing (as part of a documentary or somesuch), and he might have the money for it, too...

I hope the second customer is NASA. It'd be absolutely hilarious... NASA returns to the Moon for only $150 million... by paying to let an astronaut ride on a circumlunar Soyuz! :rofl:

 

[N_Molson]

Since there are currently 1,036 Active Duty Orbinauts, it still would cost $144,787 and 64 cents per Orbinaut to send Martins to the Moon. :blink:

That would be a great achievement, but we would need much more Orbinauts. 14$ / orbinaut would be affordable, I guess.

 

[DanM]

Since there are currently 1,036 Active Duty Orbinauts, it still would cost $144,787 and 64 cents per Orbinaut to send Martins to the Moon. :blink:

That would be a great achievement, but we would need much more Orbinauts. 14$ / orbinaut would be affordable, I guess.

Let's start an Orbitnaut recruitment program!

 

[SiberianTiger]

The first people to leave LEO in half a century are going to be a couple of russians and an obscenely rich tourist?

With the PPTS, even higher level of service can be achieved. Up to two flight attendants can form a cabin crew!

:lol:

 

[Dive]

I have 2 feelings about this. First of all, i'm glad that our nation will finaly send a human to the moon. But i'm also a bit scared. Since the moon race, the old generation of the engineers were already fired, so we have now a generation of the engineers, skilled in LEO flights, but not the Moon flights. So.. if something bad would happen with Soyuz... it would be a great shame. And, of course, it would be a big danger for cosmonauts/billionauts.

 

[N_Molson]

I feel that, regardless of the nationality of the passengers/crew, that would be a very important accomplishment for Russia. It would mean that the new generation of engineers, as you say, is able to overcome the Soviet era achievements. That would bring a lot of self-confidence throughout the space industry.