12-14-2005, 11:16 AM
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#42
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Kenmore, WA, USA.
Posts: 2,097
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by spacebatman
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by dgbint
Sounds so simple !
When you build stuff that has to be reliable, it costs a whole lot more.
Aircraft grade stuff costs many times normal consumer grade prices.
The consequences of gear not working are so dramatic.
Well space grade stuff it even more so !
How much would it cost to send a service technician to the moon ??
I guess that the real numbers would be prohibitive.
My 2c worth anyway.
Michael
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many universities and little companies ALREADY build and launch micro-satellites at very low cost
the most important part of each mission will be the earth to orbit flight, but it is "included in the price" of all rockets... you give the "box" and they will launch it to the orbit you want
the launch from earth orbit to moon may be easy with the same low cost engines and technology used with hundreds geostationary comm satellites
the lunar landing will need some research but an airbag-like landing may be simple and low cost
about moon repair... the strategy of my idea of VME (see its page on my website) is completely different from past rovers' strategy
NOT a few, very high priced, "perfect" rovers, but, HUNDREDS reliable and very low cost rovers!
if we send four $100 million each "perfect" rovers, they MUST work!
but, if rovers will cost $500,000 each, we can send dozens rovers with each rocket, so, if 30% of them will fail, the 70% that work well may explore the entire moon surface
about moonrovers' prize competition... I think that the "first prize competition" may need only a "safe moon landing and a few days of 3D images", we can't want too much from first missions
next, when we will have more experience, more complex competitions can be made
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Moonrovers' Prize Competition www.gaetanomarano.it/moonprize/moonprize.html
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I don't understand your logic of sending 'hundreds' of under-engineered rovers, accepting that many will fail, but some will survive. (Kinda like sending a dozen Qs vs. one HT.) That's terribly wasteful, both in terms of the cost to transport many times the weight, and in the amount of junk left behind. Why not engineer it right the first time and send one?
Segway - What's holding you up?
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