Ticket to moon---do you think it will happen?

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:



http://huff.to/MFbj8D

HuffPost Social Reading


Michael Rundle
Michael.Rundle@huffingtonpost.com



James Oberg Interview: How Feasible Is The £100m Ticket To The Moon?

Posted: 22/06/2012 13:43 Updated: 22/06/2012 15:40



Recently HuffPost - and most of the world's media - reported that Excalibur Almaz (EA), a company based on the Isle of Man, will attempt to send tourists to the Moon for £100m a ticket.

And even though EA said they were not attempting to land, but rather using recycled Russian space stations to visit, orbit and return from the satellite, we admit we were sceptical.

But how feasible is the plan really? And can the Russian tech do what EA say it can?

To find out we asked James Oberg, who after a distinguished career is now recognised as one of the world's leading enthusiasts and promoters of space exploration.

Previously Oberg worked as an award winning 'rocket scientist' for 22 years, including for the Nasa space shuttle program, and now, as well as regularly appearing on American TV for NBC News, he is an expert on Russian space technology and the future development of space exploration.

We got in touch to see whether EA's programme sounded realistic - and whether it was worth attempting…

Can the hardware acquired by EA for the lunar mission do what it claims to - and what is its reputation in terms of reliability and safety?

The hardware was designed, built and tested in the 1980s to accomplish the mission now described. Verifying that 30 years of shelf storage hasn't led to hidden decay is a challenge, but probably can be done.

Why have the number of announcements made by companies like EA and others about such ambitious projects so far outweighed the results?

There's no question that the concept is far-out, literally. The 'giggle factor' is very high, as it always is for bold projects -- and as it should be.

It often takes years just for the realisation to sink in that the idea is feasible. History is full of conceptual pioneers whose ideas stalled, and were eventually only carried out by newer players.

Of course, history is even more full of ideas that were never carried out because they failed. But it's impossible to tell in advance which would be which. Let them try it.

What impact do you think a successful mission of this type would have on re-engaging people with space exploration?

This is perhaps one of the boldest of a wide array of public and commercial space access projects now under way. Some of them are going to work out, and some of them won't.

Finding out which is which is going to be very exciting, very dangerous, and extremely interesting to both spectactors and participants.

If it were so easy to do, why haven't the Russians already done it themselves for their own prestige?

Perhaps it is merely an issue of budget priorities. And the prestige value may be low, or even negative, if one government repeats another nation's accomplishments half a century later at much lower quality -- no lunar landing, after all.

It would underscore their inferiority, rather than score propaganda points or bragging rights.

Now -- doing it as 'an afterthought' with spare capabilities, for a paying customer, without even having to break a sweat -- that might well be worth bragging about.

If we could get you a ticket, would you go?

I'd go - and I'd let my kids go.



© 2012 AOL (UK) Limited its affiliates and licensors
Part of HuffPost Tech

===============================================================