7 ms·

Crowdfund a mission to put a monolith on the moon

69 points by J3L2404 16y ago

sghehrthrt 16y ago
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J3L2404 16y ago
"It only has to be a one-way trip, though, which should keep it relatively cheap." Well if it's a one-way trip the monolith better damn well be bigger than the lander.
- bronson 16y ago
  Lander: "I was supposed to build it eighteen inches high." Crowd: "This is insane. This isn't a piece of scenery." Lander: "Look, look, look. This is what I was asked to build. Eighteen inches. Right here, it specified eighteen inches. I was given this napkin, I mean..."
presidentender 16y ago
It can't possibly cost that much to calculate a trajectory and send a giant single-stage rocket, can it? If we remove the monolith erection requirement, I think this gets much cheaper.
- mdolon 16y ago
  I'd guess that the cost is not just in the rocket itself, but rather the team, research, tests/trials, fuel and logistics of the entire operation. Getting to space is one thing, getting to the moon is an entirely different ball game.
  - presidentender 16y ago
    My thought is that we can piggyback on Nasa's earlier work on fuels, and since our goal is just to hit a big gravity well (not at a specific point) our mathematical model for trajectory just has to include the earth and the moon.
- wazoox 16y ago
  A single stage rocket can't possibly reach the moon. There's a reason why big rockets have 3 stages (actually more like 4 stages for the Saturn V).
clistctrl 16y ago
Who gets to take the money to build it?
- lwat 16y ago
  The lowest bidding contractor!
jerf 16y ago
Meh, just wait for the first private flight and ask them to send up a few panels to construct the 1:4:9 monolith, they'll probably do it for "free", they'll be geeks too after all, and probably just as soon as any effort to do this in any other way could work.
- ajaimk 16y ago
  Considering that the maiden "Top Secret" Payload on SpaceX's Dragon Module was a wheel of cheese, I wouldn't be surprised if this happened.
theklub 16y ago
Would be better off donating to these guys or at least getting them to help ... http://www.copenhagensuborbitals.com/ http://www.copenhagensuborbitals.com/
absconditus 16y ago
Why?
- Illgetthere 16y ago
  Why on earth not?!
paulsmith 16y ago
The lazy programmer way would be to recognize there's already one up there, it's just been deliberately buried. Kickstarter a digging project in the Clavius area.
astrofinch 16y ago
Is this more about putting a 2001: A Space Odyssey reference on the moon for fun or leaving a record of our civilization in case it destroys itself? I'm in favor of the second, but the first doesn't seem much different from carving the Coca Cola logo.
- acqq 16y ago
  Now imagine humans do find some artifact somewhere, they develop subtle theories and even religions based on it but in fact that was just an object set there as a prank, funded by alien fans of some alien movie 2001 equivalent.
gojomo 16y ago
If we're going to crowdfund a megaproject, I'd prefer a utilitarian space elevator.
- wlievens 16y ago
  You can't do that on $500M I'm afraid.
ajaimk 16y ago
Shouldn't we put one in Africa first?
jcfrei 16y ago
I'd pay a 100$, if they would engrave my name on that monolith.
donspaulding 16y ago
Two things: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlA9bNk3b5Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlA9bNk3b5Q and http://s938.photobucket.com/albums/ad222/powderny/?action=view&current=picard-facepalm.jpg&newest=1 http://s938.photobucket.com/albums/ad222/powderny/?action=vi...

69 points by J3L2404 16y ago

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J3L2404 16y ago

"It only has to be a one-way trip, though, which should keep it relatively cheap." Well if it's a one-way trip the monolith better damn well be bigger than the lander.

bronson 16y ago
Lander: "I was supposed to build it eighteen inches high." Crowd: "This is insane. This isn't a piece of scenery." Lander: "Look, look, look. This is what I was asked to build. Eighteen inches. Right here, it specified eighteen inches. I was given this napkin, I mean..."

presidentender 16y ago

It can't possibly cost that much to calculate a trajectory and send a giant single-stage rocket, can it? If we remove the monolith erection requirement, I think this gets much cheaper.

mdolon 16y ago
I'd guess that the cost is not just in the rocket itself, but rather the team, research, tests/trials, fuel and logistics of the entire operation. Getting to space is one thing, getting to the moon is an entirely different ball game.
- presidentender 16y ago
  My thought is that we can piggyback on Nasa's earlier work on fuels, and since our goal is just to hit a big gravity well (not at a specific point) our mathematical model for trajectory just has to include the earth and the moon.
wazoox 16y ago
A single stage rocket can't possibly reach the moon. There's a reason why big rockets have 3 stages (actually more like 4 stages for the Saturn V).

clistctrl 16y ago

Who gets to take the money to build it?

lwat 16y ago
The lowest bidding contractor!

jerf 16y ago

Meh, just wait for the first private flight and ask them to send up a few panels to construct the 1:4:9 monolith, they'll probably do it for "free", they'll be geeks too after all, and probably just as soon as any effort to do this in any other way could work.

ajaimk 16y ago
Considering that the maiden "Top Secret" Payload on SpaceX's Dragon Module was a wheel of cheese, I wouldn't be surprised if this happened.

theklub 16y ago

Would be better off donating to these guys or at least getting them to help ... http://www.copenhagensuborbitals.com/ http://www.copenhagensuborbitals.com/

absconditus 16y ago

Why?

Illgetthere 16y ago
Why on earth not?!

paulsmith 16y ago

The lazy programmer way would be to recognize there's already one up there, it's just been deliberately buried. Kickstarter a digging project in the Clavius area.

astrofinch 16y ago

Is this more about putting a 2001: A Space Odyssey reference on the moon for fun or leaving a record of our civilization in case it destroys itself? I'm in favor of the second, but the first doesn't seem much different from carving the Coca Cola logo.

acqq 16y ago
Now imagine humans do find some artifact somewhere, they develop subtle theories and even religions based on it but in fact that was just an object set there as a prank, funded by alien fans of some alien movie 2001 equivalent.

gojomo 16y ago

If we're going to crowdfund a megaproject, I'd prefer a utilitarian space elevator.

wlievens 16y ago
You can't do that on $500M I'm afraid.

ajaimk 16y ago

Shouldn't we put one in Africa first?

jcfrei 16y ago

I'd pay a 100$, if they would engrave my name on that monolith.

donspaulding 16y ago

Two things: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlA9bNk3b5Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlA9bNk3b5Q and http://s938.photobucket.com/albums/ad222/powderny/?action=view&current=picard-facepalm.jpg&newest=1 http://s938.photobucket.com/albums/ad222/powderny/?action=vi...