Will Rutan go to the moon?

....or at least build something cool?

The X Prize Foundation is asking the public to comment on the draft rules
set for its lunar lander challenge. According to draft rules for the lunar
lander contest, competitors will be challenged to build a vehicle capable of
launching vertically, travel a distance of 328 to 656 feet (100 to 200
meters) horizontally, and then land at a designated site. A return trip
would then occur between 5 minutes and 30 minutes later...Comments are
sought by March 1 with initial sign-ups slated for May 15, according to
draft rules, though Murphy added that the comment period could be extended
to 30 days."

He's always building something cool, to the moon? naw, not unless he pulls
anti-grav out of his hat.


"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote in message
...
...or at least build something cool?

The X Prize Foundation is asking the public to comment on the draft rules
set for its lunar lander challenge. According to draft rules for the lunar
lander contest, competitors will be challenged to build a vehicle capable
of launching vertically, travel a distance of 328 to 656 feet (100 to 200
meters) horizontally, and then land at a designated site. A return trip
would then occur between 5 minutes and 30 minutes later...Comments are
sought by March 1 with initial sign-ups slated for May 15, according to
draft rules, though Murphy added that the comment period could be extended
to 30 days."

Give him a big enough budget and I have no doubt Burt could do nearly
anything he wanted. I know history has said that we should "go higher,
faster, farther" yet I hope one day we will change that. Instead I hope to
hear, "cheaper, safer, more available."

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote:

...or at least build something cool?

The X Prize Foundation is asking the public to comment on the draft rules
set for its lunar lander challenge. According to draft rules for the lunar
lander contest, competitors will be challenged to build a vehicle capable of
launching vertically, travel a distance of 328 to 656 feet (100 to 200
meters) horizontally, and then land at a designated site. A return trip
would then occur between 5 minutes and 30 minutes later...Comments are
sought by March 1 with initial sign-ups slated for May 15, according to
draft rules, though Murphy added that the comment period could be extended
to 30 days."

Heck, if those are all the rules, a mini-500 might even make it (30
minutes would allow time for any necessary frame rewelding after the
first flight).

Mark "yeah, I know...." Hickey

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote in message
...
...or at least build something cool?

The X Prize Foundation is asking the public to comment on the draft rules
set for its lunar lander challenge. According to draft rules for the lunar
lander contest, competitors will be challenged to build a vehicle capable
of launching vertically, travel a distance of 328 to 656 feet (100 to 200
meters) horizontally, and then land at a designated site. A return trip
would then occur between 5 minutes and 30 minutes later...Comments are
sought by March 1 with initial sign-ups slated for May 15, according to
draft rules, though Murphy added that the comment period could be extended
to 30 days."


So, will this be known as the "Alice Prize"? ;^)

mark wrote:

Give him a big enough budget and I have no doubt Burt could do nearly
anything he wanted. I know history has said that we should "go higher,
faster, farther" yet I hope one day we will change that. Instead I hope
to hear, "cheaper, safer, more available."

Moon is easy ONCE YOU ARE OUT OF THE GRAVITY WELL. This needs to be done in
stages (pun intended). Crudely Burt has done a smaller scale of stage 1 & 2
of a Saturn. Too fast/too big a budget might be a problem (NASA involvement
would kill it), I can remember Vanguard on TV, Explorer worked.
--

regards

jc

LEGAL - I don't believe what I wrote and neither should you. Sobriety and/or
sanity of the author is not guaranteed

EMAIL - and are not valid email
addresses. news2x at perentie is valid for a while.

My "You'd Have to Be an Old Fart" prize goes to this one.

So... while the Lift Pixies were shaving off their Down Feathers with
Occam's Razor, Ralph Kramden, dizzy from all those bouncing air
molecules, was practicing his uppercut to send a privately-financed
craft into lunar orbit...

I think I'm finally getting this Aerieodynamics stuff.

Ken Finney wrote:


So, will this be known as the "Alice Prize"? ;^)



Pow, Alice! To da moon!

http://www.honeymooners.net/ralph.htm

"As early as 1954 [Jackie Gleason] had the idea of freezing special
dieters' TV dinners with the exact number of calories printed on the
label. "

Speaking of things astronautical, I want to highly, HIGHLY recommend a new book:
"Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut" by Mike
Mullane. This is best depiction I've ever read on what it's like to ride and
work on the Space Shuttle. It's full of fascinating detail.

And, it's funnier than all get-out.

Ron Wanttaja

Stella Starr said:-

"As early as 1954 [Jackie Gleason] had the idea of freezing special
dieters' TV dinners with the exact number of calories printed on the
label. "


Way OT :-
You might like The Hacker's Diet http://www.fourmilab.com/
This is John Walker's (founder of Autodesk) web site.

I've got a radio-controlled helicopter that could snatch that prize easily, with those specifications.