Will a Secret Private Manned Mission to the Moon Be Announced This Week?

Just found this and thought I would get everyone's thought on the matter. This seems like it could be cool thing for space exploration.

Internet rumors have been swirling for several weeks of a secret venture backed by private entrepreneurs that would return people to the moon’s surface. It seems that the veil will finally be lifted this week, during a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 6.

“The Golden Spike Company invites you to attend a game-changing announcement about the future of commercial human space travel to the Moon,” reads the announcement for the media briefing. ”Executives from the company will describe the team, the mission architecture, and the business model.”

Source: www.wired.com...

This could be huge for man going back to the moon. If I had to put money on it, they don't even get close to the moon but I have been wrong before...

That would be awesome!

I wonder if they're going to hook up with Planetary Resources..

www.planetaryresources.com...

That would be two birds with one stone, for sure. I can't imagine that the tourism market would prove profitable for the long term, if there aren't other industries already up there.

Even if this doesn't turn out to be what people are hoping for... it will come. I'd say it's almost inevitable... fingers crossed!

I just got one thing to say. It won't be a secret if I know about it.




First! ya, bish. lol

Well, it wouldn't be a SECRET MISSION if they told people, would it?

Ah! they must have finally finished putting all those things up there that were supposed to be there years ago.

Why not? NASA has been farming out Millions to private companies like Space X .
If NASA can't do it with the backing of the US Goverment, Let the private sector go for it!

Look how many mars missions failed!!!
Someone doesnt want us humans roaming loose in space, my guess is they'll have a lot of "It just switched itself off"

reply to post by VoidHawk


Nobody has to make missions fail. Travelling in space is really really hard to begin with. NASA made it look easy, but look at all the failures of missions that never left Earth orbit. And all the failures they had before they ever put anyone in space. If space flight was easy, then these private companies wouldn't be spending billions, and having so many failures.

reply to post by TheHistorian


If this is true
it will be the best space news I heard since sliced bread
But they better go silent about with the mission details and only use trusted people on the project
I would believe NASA would like to censor it out of reality in anyway possible

Where'd they get the secret bit from? If the mission contents were going to be secret, they wouldn't get out of the car park, never mind a launching.

Just to add, if there is an attempt to land on the Moon and return of course, (not including the secret bit) then sail on silver Moon. But come to think of it, any serious attempt to return to the Moon by private enterprise, is bound to raise the hackles of all the various Gestapos around the world anyway!

reply to post by smurfy


This the problem with private space exploration, there are no secrets in capitalism. They have to be public about their venture. You can't make money being private.

I wonder what NASA's take on this whole enterprise is? I have a sneaking suspicion that NASA isn't super keen on this idea. I get the impression that they think as space as "their's" and it should be left to them to control and explore.

reply to post by TheHistorian


NASA WANTS private companies involved. That's why they are paying millions and more out of their budget to companies like SpaceX, and others to develop manned capsules that will take astronauts to the ISS, and possibly farther. If they have a private company dealing with the "low altitude" stuff, they can concentrate on the deeper space aspect of their mission.

I hope there will be no moon mission at all, secret or no secret because for sure we are going read on ATS for the next 30 years that it didn't happen.

besides that how can something exactly be a secret when it will be announced

Doesn't it seem a little strange that we've sent so many probes to Mars yet have sent none to investigate the moon? Decades have gone by and all we've done is take pictures of it.

If we don't return to the moon physically it would be great if they would at least send a probe as complex as those sent to Mars to collect samples and return them to Earth. High-def photos of the surface would also be a plus.

reply to post by MCCXLIV


There have been a number of probes to the moon recently, by the US and by other countries. Including high definition pictures.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Can you direct me to the resources for the science and photos?

TY

Were these missions to the actual surface of the moon?

reply to post by MCCXLIV


Indian Chandrayaan-1
www.isro.org...

Clementine
www.nrl.navy.mil...

Japanese SELENE
www.jaxa.jp...

Mostly it's just imaging at this point, but the Indian space agency is planning an automated rover launch in 2013 that will go to the moon. China plans a rover for late this year or next year, with a sample return mission in 2017. JAXA was talking about a manned mission for 2020, but will revert to rovers.

Clementine IIRC was crashed into the moon to determine how much water might be there. I'm not sure if it was Clementine, or if it was another one, but there have been a few that have been crashed into the moon to collect data on ice, to determine the feasibility of a permanent outpost.

It makes me wonder. When a private party does successfully complete a lunar visit and return with documentable evidence of the flag being there and the equipment left behind by the moon landing, will those who say it never happened continue to say it never happened or will that be enough to quell their disbelief?

If numerous private entities come back with the same evidence over and over, will we finally be able to put this conspiracy theory to rest and will people accept that we really did travel to the moon?

reply to post by MCCXLIV


It's pretty much a "dead rock". There is no atmosphere to speak of, there were no oil deposits to be found, it served no monetary purpose so why return to it? The goal was for the US to get there before the Soviet Union did. They succeeded.

Other than "because it's there", there really isn't much reason to return.

reply to post by HowSoYouSay


As with Mars, the moon has many fascinating surface features that should be investigated. I think Aristarchus Crater and its neighborhood should be imaged on-the-ground. I also think the poles and the far side of the moon should be extensively investigated.

With respect to other missions, Mars, to me, does not seem all that exotic. We've made a very good effort to do research there. Enough is enough.

If we are going to continue launching unmanned missions to other planets in our solar system I believe we should begin investigating the moons of Saturn and Jupiter and its moons. We should be landing on these bodies.

We've focused too much on Mars.