Tuesday, August 6, 2013

A 'Pumpkin' Pod For Flying To The Moon Like A Princess

Northrop Grumman performed a viability study on plans from a private startup that wants to send people to the moon for a cool $750 million.

By Francie DiepPosted 05.10.2013 at 12:30 pm4 Comments

Golden Spike Company Lunar Lander
Golden Spike Company Lunar Lander Northrop Grumman
Ready to land on the moon like a princess? Private spaceflight startup the Golden Spike Company has released plans for a lunar lander with a round pod, nicknamed "Pumpkin," for crew members. Plus there's a larger oval habitat for people to use once they're on the moon.
The plans, as well as the Golden Spike's other technologies for bringing humans back to the moon, are still a long way from reality. The startup has just had aerospace company Northrop Grumman evaluate Pumpkin's blueprints, plus other aspects of its business plan.
Northrop Grumman found the Pumpkin viable. It also found that the lander should probably use non-cryogenic propellants, which means no liquid hydrogen or other fuels that need to be kept cool.
The Golden Spike, whose founders and advisors include former NASA officials, wants to offer commercial moon flights, most likely to governments, who would be better able to afford the $750 million ticket price.

4 COMMENTS

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12
05/10/13 at 12:43 pm
Drat on me, I only have 749 million to spend....... sad sigh. I can't go.....
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nkfro
05/10/13 at 2:40 pm
Oh, t2, just for the sake of clarity, that 750,000,000 price tag was in dollars, not pennies......;)
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adaptation
05/10/13 at 9:25 pm
I came up with my idea years a go, just bolt seats to a platform, You already have space suits on. Imagine the glorious panorama. Your habitat would have landed unmanned within walking distance.
@nkfro because you could afford it if it was 7.5 million?
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killerT
05/13/13 at 12:33 pm
Interesting. A Moon taxi service catering to governments.
I wonder who is going to be the first ten nations to land people on the moon?
Capture the flag!! Game ON!!

August 2013: The Bio Revolution

How 3-D printing body parts will change the world. Plus: the 25 best nerd road trips, a look at the milky liquid that lets people live without food, a DIY pirate-proof boat, and much more.

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