NASA Is Interested In Commercial Lunar Missions

Why? We've already been there.

> Why? We've already been there.

Not sure if you realized this, but NASA also has missions planned for LEO and studying Earth, despite our having previously been there. And yes, I realize you were just attempting to make a clever knock on Buzz Aldrin's statement.

Back on topic, this seems like a great idea. Hopefully we'll see more and more commercial lunar involvement as NASA pushes the frontiers in beyond-cislunar space.

What? How about the expensive data from the Apollo lunar landings and ops as well as the Mars Pathfinder and Exploration Rovers? Don't the Russians have some data from their Lunokhod rover vehicles? Seems like money to reinvent the wheel.

> Seems like money to reinvent the wheel.

$10M to reinvent a much more economically sustainable wheel, yes.

There are currently 21 commercial teams registered for the Google Lunar X PRIZE. This BAA is an inexpensive vehicle for NASA to buy down risk on their own robotic BEO missions by closely observing these commercial ventures. It should be clear that NASA is not looking for data about the moon, they are looking to gather the "lessons learned" by teams attempting to implement low cost, innovative new tech. There is very little risk for NASA since they only pay for results.

Michael Joyce
http://www.nextgiantleap.com

I've always been on topic. Money to realize a more sustainable wheel? Well, more power and money to them. But that is not what the request is about. I remind you the story said:

"NASA has issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to purchase specific data resulting from industry efforts to test and verify vehicle capabilities through demonstrations of small robotic landers. The purpose is to inform the development of future human and robotic lander vehicles."

Test and verify vehicle capabilities through demonstation of small robotic landers....we've been there done that....where are the data from that and why should we pay for it again? More of the same of wasting money for things that have been done. As an example, do you think Mars Pathfinder and Exploration Rovers just appeared and drove around the red planet? No, there was plenty of data used in their design and data gathered from the actual operations on the Red Planet and all of that should be documented somewhere.

Unlike many I don't read into articles things that are not there. If there is more to this than meets the eye, I'm waiting to see it.