A $100 Million Trip to the Moon 451
Kyusaku Natsume writes "Russia's federal space agency will offer a $100m trip to the moon. From the UK Guardian's article:" "We've had the necessary technology for many years, the only problem will be finding someone prepared to pay that much." "
Space tourism and lottery (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Russsia shouldn't be the only one (Score:3, Interesting)
If you decide to... (Score:3, Interesting)
Either way, thats a shitload of money, but its also a once in a lifetime opportunity. (atleast if you are getting old already!) Some of us young folk will probably be able to take some "tours" for around 1 million or so within 20-30 years I assume (and hope). By then it will be safer as well, even if I had the money, I doubt I would do this, but give it 30 years or so and space travel will be a *bit* safer, and there may be actual tour shuttles available. so what are the limits? can a 70 year old man willing to pay 100mill do this? what about an obese 25 year old thats just waiting for a heart attack? do you have to be very physically fit? Inquiring minds want to know...
Looks like flying on aeroflot... (Score:1, Interesting)
I assume this means they want to fly people using technology that is many years old...
Re:Not the first time (Score:5, Interesting)
The Soyuz capsule was designed to travel to the moon as the Zond variant. The system was tested in the late 1960s, using the same type of Proton boosted soyuz capsules to orbit the moon and return, and did so with animals aboard that survived.
But yes, other then being wrong in almost every other respect, you are correct when you say "They posted this idea before".
Re:Space tourism and lottery (Score:5, Interesting)
10$ (up to 50 million) goes to Russia. $1 per ticket goes to the company. The rest goes to charity? I would buy a ticket. And hey, they could also say "If we get enough for two trips, then there will be two winners."
I don't know...that sounds a bit altruistic of me. More likely some company will sell the tickets for 15/pop and pocket any profits above the 50 mil.
Re:So lemme see if I got this right... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'd say Richard Branson is more likely to go before Larry.
Re:So lemme see if I got this right... (Score:1, Interesting)
I still don't think it's as difficult as people think it is to get into orbit - or to the moon - it's just difficult to do it and not get sued to death. If you're flying yourself, with your own money (not the public's or some investors'), you only really have to answer to yourself (assuming you can get clearance to launch without getting shot out of the air by some country's air force).
I don't think they can do it (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes the Russians build one of the best throw away capsules ever made. Yes they have done some wonderful things in space. But there is a big difference between Earth orbit and going to the Moon. Even if you're not landing there.
Re:Seems a bit steep to me... (Score:3, Interesting)
"There is no dark side of the moon really...matter of fact it's all dark."
Pink Floyd,
Dark Side of the Moon
that quote on the album came from a doorman for abbey road studios. He did a recorded interview with the band so that they could use the audio for the album.
Re:I've started a lottery (Score:5, Interesting)
Lotteries of this nature were proposed by many early Science Fiction authors, including Heinlein and Asimov. The trick is to figure out how to tell the scam artists from legitimate operations.
Re:What else is included? (Score:3, Interesting)
Most people aren't aware of this due to the illogical sex taboos in the US.
Re:China and ESA (Score:4, Interesting)
So far, in order to pull something like this off, it is either the Russians or NASA. 10 years from now that may be a totally different story, but there is a huge leap to go from sub-orbital (like Scaled Composites) to orbit, and an even larger leap to go from LEO to lunar orbit.
The neat thing is that going from LEO to lunar orbit is not nearly as complex as going from sub-orbital to LEO. And lunar orbits to lunar landings are not too much more complex either.
$100 lottery tickets (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:a small snag. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Russsia shouldn't be the only one (Score:3, Interesting)
My maternal grandmother was born circa 1890. When she was a young woman, two women meeting for the first time would exchange two pieces of information early in the conversation: (1) how many children each had had, and (2) how many lived. When I was a kid in the late Forties, my mom was just beginning to ask her not to do that any more.
rj
Re:Russian Space Value Meal (Score:2, Interesting)
a few years ago a miami strip club owner was working with drug kingpins to buy one.
when he made contact with someone that could sell the submarine the only question he was asked was "would you like that with missiles or without"
the russian mob has balls
Re:What else is included? (Score:2, Interesting)
Titanic cost 100M to make and generated about a billion in sales.
Honeymooners II - Pow right to the moon alice!
Silent Bob's Voyage to the Dark Side...
They want 100M, maybe they'll take 50M.
Corporate sponsorship - the Verison Moon Rocket.
National sponsorship - just tell Saudi Arabia they're bidding against Isreal.
A raffle - for $100 a ticket, you might win an audition to star in a movie in which you are the first person to have sex in space with a couple hot cosmo-nauts.
It starts to look pretty doable.
Action figures, happy meals, residuals.
Have your people call my people.
First they ignore you, then they mod you +1 Funny, then they mod you down, then you win.
Re:More people than you think would pony... (Score:2, Interesting)
In other words you want to raise another Paris Hilton? Not for me thanks, if I have kids I want them to be decent human beings who earn their own way in life, not spoilt brats living on trust funds, living the high life without having earnt it. It's the 21st century now, not Medieval Feudalism. I come from a country where people even inherit power, never mind estates.
I'm all in favour of a 100% inheritance tax over a certain amount, say 100k. And throw the Royal family out on the street.
As for your friends and family, they'll soon lose interest in you once the gravy train dries up.
Re:Seems a bit steep to me... (Score:3, Interesting)
They interviewed Paul McCartney, as the Beatles were recording in Abbey Road around the same time. Paul, already being in the media spotlight, was a lot more careful about his answers that none of his were good/amusing/interesting enough for use on the album