Inspiring

Aw yeah!
The X Prize foundation is gunning for their third target. The moon!

The $2.5M Lunar Lander Challenge will require a vehicle to simulate a trip between the Moon and low Moon orbit. The competition is divided into two courses. The more difficult of the courses--level 2--requires a vehicle to take off from a designated launch area and elevate to at least 50 meters. It must then fly for at least 180 seconds before landing precisely in an area simulating a rocky lunar surface 100 meters away.

The vehicle has the option to refuel before repeating the requirements of the first leg while traveling back to the original launch area. The less difficult of the two courses, level 1, requires a minimum flight time of 90 seconds and has a flat even surface on which to land and refuel.

I am convinced that commercial usage will drive technology frontiers and this is surely one way to do it. Besides, if you cannot use your ideas for people, what good will it do mankind? This will be the third target. The first was a suborbital flight, the second was an unmanned vehicular race, and now this.


The X Prize Foundation. Way cool. Way inspiring.