NASA Offering $2 Million Prize for Lunar Lander

coondoggie writes "If you build it, NASA will not only come, it'll give you $2 million dollars for your troubles. The space agency today said it will offer $2 million in prizes if competing teams can successfully build a lunar lander at the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge at Holloman Air Force Base, in Alamogordo, N.M. Oct. 27 and 28th. To win the prize, teams must demonstrate a rocket-propelled vehicle and payload that takes off vertically, climbs to a defined altitude, flies for a pre-determined amount of time, and then lands vertically on a target that is a fixed distance from the launch pad. After landing, the vehicle must take off again within a predetermined time, fly for a certain amount of time and then land back on its original launch pad."

kidding, kidding

[User 956]

The space agency today said it will offer $2 million in prizes if competing teams can successfully build a lunar lander

Do they give you a bonus for also constructing a sound stage that looks like a lunar surface?

CHA

[User 956]

Nevermind the lander... Given that Microsoft paid $240 million for 1% of facebook, how long until someone offers a milti-million dollar prize to build a laser that can carve their corporate logo into the surface of the moon?

We have a winner!

[r00b]

I just copied the actual lunar lander, and added this cool racing stripe.

Re:CHA

[SpaceLifeForm]

I was just thinking a Ballmer flying chair could win this prize.

Of course, we'd have to ship Ballmer to the moon, but that would be an easy problem to solve.

Prior art

[dotancohen]

...takes off vertically, climbs to a defined altitude, flies for a pre-determined amount of time, and then land vertically on a target that is a fixed distance from the launch pad. After landing, the vehicle must take off again within a predetermined time, fly for a certain amount of time and then land back on its original launch pad.

Er, don't helicopters do this? Grow the moon an atmosphere (Anybody see the movie Red Planet?) and it'll fly there too.

Cement Truck

[WED Fan]

I think I could do it, using the tumbler from a cement truck and some off the shelf hardware.

Re:Economics?

[iminplaya]

If you win, your project will probably be hijacked by the lowest bidder that actually wins the contract.

Re:Previous Design?

[mrbcs]

They made it too big to fit through the studio doors :-)

Re:We have a winner!

[ColdWetDog]

I just copied the actual lunar lander, and added this cool racing stripe.

You do realize that you could hook that up to the Internet and patent the whole thing?

Re:Economics?

[Have Brain Will Rent]

I'm sure the rules have something to disqualify it but a $100 model helicopter will do all the things described.

Re:Economics?

[pushing-robot]

Yeah, the rules specifically state that it has to be entirely rocket-powered.

A.4.2 Vehicle must take-off vertically utilizing only rocket power from Point A. No aerodynamic or air-breathing methods of hovering, propulsion, steering, or landing are permitted except in the case of abort.

Sucks, as I didn't see that until I'd already built a lander with repulsorlifts.