Back to the future? Lunar mission talk.

Space Adventures still advertises a lunar mission

Okay. It’s nice to know that people are at least THINKING about going around the moon again. It’s been awhile. We first sent men around the moon in 1968. The last time people were there was 1972. That’s quite a long time ago.

The United States doesn’t even have PLANS to return to the moon. Certainly, it seems like India is interested in going to the moon. (They’ve sent some unmanned probes.)The Chinese are talking about a moon landing. And now, some International Space Station partners are talking about a flight around the moon.

This is a new idea for the ISS: using it as a platform for launching deep space missions. In this case, a small spacecraft (possibly the trusty Soyuz) would leave from the ISS, make a trip around the moon, and return directly to earth. (No re-docking at ISS.)

Of course, this is all just talk. There’s no official plan and certainly no budget for this.

But it’s a nice idea, I think. Although it could be done without the ISS at all. All that’s needed is money. The Russians are still advertising a circum-lunar trip at Space Adventures. That voyage—for $200,000 million—would take a wealthy space tourist around the moon in a Soyuz piloted by a cosmonaut on the trip of the century. Remember: the Soyuz was originally designed as the Soviet moonship. Yeah, it needs an improved heat shield, but it could be adapted to the task.

Any takers?