A British-led venture called Lunar Mission One has begun a crowdfunding effort to send a robotic lander to the moon with a monster drill.
The multi-million pound scheme is hoping to fund the private lunar mission within the next decade, and for less than £64 (US$100) each, members of the public will be invited to buy space on memory discs, and, for an undisclosed price, send a sample of their hair.
These discs will act like time capsules for photos, videos and other files, and will be buried in a bore hole drilled into the lunar surface.
The vehicle will be delivered into space by a medium-lift rocket, such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9, before embarking on its journey to the moon.
Once there, it will carry out a descent sequence to the lunar surface, with four engines ensuring it lands gently within a pre-determined landing site the size of a football stadium.
On the surface it will drill to depths of up to 330 feet, collecting samples every six inches for analysis on board the spacecraft.
Among the scientific questions hoping to be answered, Lunar Mission One wants to discover the true origins of the moon.
And, at the bottom of the hole, astronauts will place the discs containing the archived data from the public back on Earth.
British engineer and City financier David Iron, who came up with the plan, said: 'People can put any information they like in the memory disc; it will be like a personal time capsule, a private archive. It could be a small message saying "hi, I'm Joe" or a whole family history.
'We have carried out research and been quite surprised how keen people are. School kids think the idea of having a bit of themselves on the moon is fantastic.'
His team has taken advice from RAL Space, part of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, Oxfordshire, which contributed to Esa's recent comet probe, Philae.
Various celebrities have endorsed the mission in a promotional video including Professor Brian Cox. ‘If we’re going to explore space, and I think we have to, then the moon is the obvious stepping stone,’ said Professor Cox. ‘It’s the easiest place to land and build a base.’
Send your DNA to the moon: Lunar Mission One plans to drill 330 FEET into the moon's south pole - and you could have your own time capsule buried there
By Jonathan O'Callaghan for MailOnline
19 November 2014
Daily Mail
Millions of people around the world are to be offered the chance of immortality on the moon.
A multi-million pound scheme is hoping to fund a private lunar mission within the next decade, and for less than £64 (US$100) each, members of the public will be invited to buy space on memory discs, and, for an undisclosed price, send a sample of their hair.
These discs will act like time capsules for photos, videos and other files, and will be buried in a bore hole drilled into the lunar surface.
A private British-led mission plans to let people send time capsule 'discs' to the moon. It was devised by British engineer and financier David Iron. Called Lunar Mission One the crowd-funded spacecraft will fly to the lunar South Pole where there is constant sunlight (illustration shown)
Four billion-year-old material extracted from the hole - which could be up to 330 feet (100 metres) deep - will then be studied for scientific purposes.
The mission is called Lunar Mission One, and will involve sending a craft to the moon's South Pole - where there is constant sunlight.
The vehicle will be delivered into space by a medium-lift rocket, such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9, before embarking on its journey to the moon.
Once there, it will carry out a descent sequence to the lunar surface, with four engines ensuring it lands gently within a pre-determined landing site the size of a football stadium.
On the surface it will drill to depths of up to 330 feet, collecting samples every six inches for analysis on board the spacecraft.
It’s thought that the top 33 feet or so of rock will be a fine-grained deposit from constant bombardment of meteorites and smaller particles.
Further down, though, the moon is thought to be made of rocks that fused together by pressure and heat from asteroid impacts long ago.
Once on the Moon the spacecraft will drill 330 feet down to collect samples for scientific analysis (illustrated). It will collect samples every six inches, which will be scooped up and placed in the spacecraft for scientific analysis to answer questions about the Moon
Inside the hole (illustrated) will be placed archived data from the public on Earth. People can buy a space on the memory discs for £64 ($100). The team are seeking funding now and hope to launch in 2024
Among the scientific questions hoping to be answered, Lunar Mission One wants to discover the true origins of the moon.
And, at the bottom of the hole, astronauts will place the discs containing the archived data from the public back on Earth.
British engineer and City financier David Iron, who came up with the plan, said: 'People can put any information they like in the memory disc; it will be like a personal time capsule, a private archive. It could be a small message saying "hi, I'm Joe" or a whole family history.
'We have carried out research and been quite surprised how keen people are. School kids think the idea of having a bit of themselves on the moon is fantastic.'
The samples of varying depths will be analysed on board the spacecraft inside special capsules (illustrated). It’s thought that the top 33 feet (10 metres) or so of rock will be a fine-grained deposit from constant bombardment of meteorites and smaller particles, while further down will be rock fused by heat
He added: 'Governments are finding it increasingly difficult to fund space exploration that is solely for the advancement of human knowledge and understanding as opposed to commercial return.
'The world class team of advisers and supporters we have assembled will address this issue and crucially anyone from around the world can get involved for as little as a few pounds.'
Under the scheme, there will be hundreds of discs, each one about two inches (5cm) in diameter.
People helping to fund the mission will be promised a small part of a disc on which to load information.
An initial development phase has been launched via Kickstarter.
Individuals making pledges through Kickstarter will become lifetime members of the Lunar Missions Club and given access to information and experiences related to the mission.
They will also be offered the chance of seeing their name inscribed on the lunar lander that will carry the drill and memory discs to the moon.
Various celebrities have endorsed the mission in a promotional video including Professor Brian Cox (pictured). ‘If we’re going to explore space, and I think we have to, then the moon is the obvious stepping stone,’ said Professor Cox. ‘It’s the easiest place to land and build a base.’
British engineer David Iron, who came up with the plan (illustrated) said: 'We have carried out research and been quite surprised how keen people are. School kids think the idea of having a bit of themselves on the moon is fantastic'
The spacecraft will be delivered into space by a medium-lift rocket such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9, pictured launching in July this year from Cape Canaveral in the US
What is Lunar Mission One? - YouTube
The plan is to land on the lunar South Pole, a favoured spot for future moon bases because it receives constant sunshine.
Rock drilled out of the lunar crust could be analysed in situ, using a package of scientific instruments, or left behind for human moon explorers in years to come.
Mr Iron said business plan projections had shown that the global sale of memory disc space could raise enough to pay for the mission with money to spare.
'We're looking to make billions in revenue,' he said. 'It will be well in excess of the mission costs.'
A commercial rocket such as the Falcon 9, from private space transport pioneers SpaceX, could be used to send the discs to the moon, confirmed Mr Iron.
His team has taken advice from RAL Space, part of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, Oxfordshire, which contributed to Esa's recent comet probe, Philae.
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, Oxfordshire, which contributed to the European comet lander Philae
Philae hit the headlines by making a dramatic landing on a comet more than 300 million miles (480 million km) from Earth last week.
Professor Richard Holdaway, director of RAL Space, said: 'Lunar Mission One is both ambitious and innovative, demonstrating an exciting way of enabling lunar exploration. Our experience in multiple and complex space missions will play a vital role in helping co-ordinate the project.'
HOW WILL THE MISSION WORK?
The company plans to send a robot lander to the South Pole of the moon - an unexplored area.
They will drill to a depth of at least 66 feet (20 metres) - 10 times deeper than has been drilled before - and potentially up to 330 feet (100 metres).
The hole will be two inches (5cm) in diameter, and it will take the lander one hour to drill each six inches (15cm). Core samples will taken from each six inches.
It will then study lunar rock from this depth that is 4.5 billion years old, and has remain untouched underground.
It’s thought the top 33 feet (10 metres) or so of rock will be a fine-grained deposit from constant bombardment of meteorites and smaller particles.
Further down, though, the moon is thought to be made of rocks that fused together by pressure and heat from asteroid impacts long ago.
Among the scientific questions hoping to be answered, Lunar Mission One wants to discover the true origins of the moon.
The spacecraft will be delivered into space by a medium-lift rocket such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
It will carry out a staged descent sequent to the lunar surface.
Four main engines will ensure it lands gently on the surface and keep it within a landing site the size of a football stadium.
The spacecraft will be equipped not only with a drill, but also a jointed robotic arm to extract segments from its core, and other instruments to analyse core samples and monitor seismic activity.External solar cells will power the lander.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/563191665/lunar-mission-one-a-new-lunar-mission-for-everyone
http://www.lunarmissionone.com/
Read more: Lunar Mission One plans to drill 100 METRES into the moon | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
The multi-million pound scheme is hoping to fund the private lunar mission within the next decade, and for less than £64 (US$100) each, members of the public will be invited to buy space on memory discs, and, for an undisclosed price, send a sample of their hair.
These discs will act like time capsules for photos, videos and other files, and will be buried in a bore hole drilled into the lunar surface.
The vehicle will be delivered into space by a medium-lift rocket, such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9, before embarking on its journey to the moon.
Once there, it will carry out a descent sequence to the lunar surface, with four engines ensuring it lands gently within a pre-determined landing site the size of a football stadium.
On the surface it will drill to depths of up to 330 feet, collecting samples every six inches for analysis on board the spacecraft.
Among the scientific questions hoping to be answered, Lunar Mission One wants to discover the true origins of the moon.
And, at the bottom of the hole, astronauts will place the discs containing the archived data from the public back on Earth.
British engineer and City financier David Iron, who came up with the plan, said: 'People can put any information they like in the memory disc; it will be like a personal time capsule, a private archive. It could be a small message saying "hi, I'm Joe" or a whole family history.
'We have carried out research and been quite surprised how keen people are. School kids think the idea of having a bit of themselves on the moon is fantastic.'
His team has taken advice from RAL Space, part of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, Oxfordshire, which contributed to Esa's recent comet probe, Philae.
Various celebrities have endorsed the mission in a promotional video including Professor Brian Cox. ‘If we’re going to explore space, and I think we have to, then the moon is the obvious stepping stone,’ said Professor Cox. ‘It’s the easiest place to land and build a base.’
Send your DNA to the moon: Lunar Mission One plans to drill 330 FEET into the moon's south pole - and you could have your own time capsule buried there
Private mission plans to let people send time capsule 'discs' to the moon
Information can be loaded on a memory card, along with a strand of hair
It was devised by British engineer and financier David Iron
Called Lunar Mission One the crowd-funded spacecraft will fly to the lunar South Pole where there is constant sunlight
There it will drill 330 feet down to collect samples for scientific analysis
Inside the hole will be placed archived data from the public on Earth
People can buy a space on the memory discs for £64 ($100)
In a promotional video Professor Brian Cox said the moon was 'the 'obvious stepping stone' to explore space
The team are seeking funding now and hope to launch in 2024
Information can be loaded on a memory card, along with a strand of hair
It was devised by British engineer and financier David Iron
Called Lunar Mission One the crowd-funded spacecraft will fly to the lunar South Pole where there is constant sunlight
There it will drill 330 feet down to collect samples for scientific analysis
Inside the hole will be placed archived data from the public on Earth
People can buy a space on the memory discs for £64 ($100)
In a promotional video Professor Brian Cox said the moon was 'the 'obvious stepping stone' to explore space
The team are seeking funding now and hope to launch in 2024
By Jonathan O'Callaghan for MailOnline
19 November 2014
Daily Mail
Millions of people around the world are to be offered the chance of immortality on the moon.
A multi-million pound scheme is hoping to fund a private lunar mission within the next decade, and for less than £64 (US$100) each, members of the public will be invited to buy space on memory discs, and, for an undisclosed price, send a sample of their hair.
These discs will act like time capsules for photos, videos and other files, and will be buried in a bore hole drilled into the lunar surface.
A private British-led mission plans to let people send time capsule 'discs' to the moon. It was devised by British engineer and financier David Iron. Called Lunar Mission One the crowd-funded spacecraft will fly to the lunar South Pole where there is constant sunlight (illustration shown)
Four billion-year-old material extracted from the hole - which could be up to 330 feet (100 metres) deep - will then be studied for scientific purposes.
The mission is called Lunar Mission One, and will involve sending a craft to the moon's South Pole - where there is constant sunlight.
The vehicle will be delivered into space by a medium-lift rocket, such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9, before embarking on its journey to the moon.
Once there, it will carry out a descent sequence to the lunar surface, with four engines ensuring it lands gently within a pre-determined landing site the size of a football stadium.
On the surface it will drill to depths of up to 330 feet, collecting samples every six inches for analysis on board the spacecraft.
It’s thought that the top 33 feet or so of rock will be a fine-grained deposit from constant bombardment of meteorites and smaller particles.
Further down, though, the moon is thought to be made of rocks that fused together by pressure and heat from asteroid impacts long ago.
Once on the Moon the spacecraft will drill 330 feet down to collect samples for scientific analysis (illustrated). It will collect samples every six inches, which will be scooped up and placed in the spacecraft for scientific analysis to answer questions about the Moon
Inside the hole (illustrated) will be placed archived data from the public on Earth. People can buy a space on the memory discs for £64 ($100). The team are seeking funding now and hope to launch in 2024
Among the scientific questions hoping to be answered, Lunar Mission One wants to discover the true origins of the moon.
And, at the bottom of the hole, astronauts will place the discs containing the archived data from the public back on Earth.
British engineer and City financier David Iron, who came up with the plan, said: 'People can put any information they like in the memory disc; it will be like a personal time capsule, a private archive. It could be a small message saying "hi, I'm Joe" or a whole family history.
'We have carried out research and been quite surprised how keen people are. School kids think the idea of having a bit of themselves on the moon is fantastic.'
The samples of varying depths will be analysed on board the spacecraft inside special capsules (illustrated). It’s thought that the top 33 feet (10 metres) or so of rock will be a fine-grained deposit from constant bombardment of meteorites and smaller particles, while further down will be rock fused by heat
He added: 'Governments are finding it increasingly difficult to fund space exploration that is solely for the advancement of human knowledge and understanding as opposed to commercial return.
'The world class team of advisers and supporters we have assembled will address this issue and crucially anyone from around the world can get involved for as little as a few pounds.'
Under the scheme, there will be hundreds of discs, each one about two inches (5cm) in diameter.
People helping to fund the mission will be promised a small part of a disc on which to load information.
An initial development phase has been launched via Kickstarter.
Individuals making pledges through Kickstarter will become lifetime members of the Lunar Missions Club and given access to information and experiences related to the mission.
They will also be offered the chance of seeing their name inscribed on the lunar lander that will carry the drill and memory discs to the moon.
Various celebrities have endorsed the mission in a promotional video including Professor Brian Cox (pictured). ‘If we’re going to explore space, and I think we have to, then the moon is the obvious stepping stone,’ said Professor Cox. ‘It’s the easiest place to land and build a base.’
British engineer David Iron, who came up with the plan (illustrated) said: 'We have carried out research and been quite surprised how keen people are. School kids think the idea of having a bit of themselves on the moon is fantastic'
The spacecraft will be delivered into space by a medium-lift rocket such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9, pictured launching in July this year from Cape Canaveral in the US
What is Lunar Mission One? - YouTube
The plan is to land on the lunar South Pole, a favoured spot for future moon bases because it receives constant sunshine.
Rock drilled out of the lunar crust could be analysed in situ, using a package of scientific instruments, or left behind for human moon explorers in years to come.
Mr Iron said business plan projections had shown that the global sale of memory disc space could raise enough to pay for the mission with money to spare.
'We're looking to make billions in revenue,' he said. 'It will be well in excess of the mission costs.'
A commercial rocket such as the Falcon 9, from private space transport pioneers SpaceX, could be used to send the discs to the moon, confirmed Mr Iron.
His team has taken advice from RAL Space, part of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, Oxfordshire, which contributed to Esa's recent comet probe, Philae.
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, Oxfordshire, which contributed to the European comet lander Philae
Philae hit the headlines by making a dramatic landing on a comet more than 300 million miles (480 million km) from Earth last week.
Professor Richard Holdaway, director of RAL Space, said: 'Lunar Mission One is both ambitious and innovative, demonstrating an exciting way of enabling lunar exploration. Our experience in multiple and complex space missions will play a vital role in helping co-ordinate the project.'
HOW WILL THE MISSION WORK?
The company plans to send a robot lander to the South Pole of the moon - an unexplored area.
They will drill to a depth of at least 66 feet (20 metres) - 10 times deeper than has been drilled before - and potentially up to 330 feet (100 metres).
The hole will be two inches (5cm) in diameter, and it will take the lander one hour to drill each six inches (15cm). Core samples will taken from each six inches.
It will then study lunar rock from this depth that is 4.5 billion years old, and has remain untouched underground.
It’s thought the top 33 feet (10 metres) or so of rock will be a fine-grained deposit from constant bombardment of meteorites and smaller particles.
Further down, though, the moon is thought to be made of rocks that fused together by pressure and heat from asteroid impacts long ago.
Among the scientific questions hoping to be answered, Lunar Mission One wants to discover the true origins of the moon.
The spacecraft will be delivered into space by a medium-lift rocket such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
It will carry out a staged descent sequent to the lunar surface.
Four main engines will ensure it lands gently on the surface and keep it within a landing site the size of a football stadium.
The spacecraft will be equipped not only with a drill, but also a jointed robotic arm to extract segments from its core, and other instruments to analyse core samples and monitor seismic activity.External solar cells will power the lander.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/563191665/lunar-mission-one-a-new-lunar-mission-for-everyone
http://www.lunarmissionone.com/
Read more: Lunar Mission One plans to drill 100 METRES into the moon | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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