Moon Watch - Lunar Journal

RITI Announces New Edition of Lunar Map Pro

2006-09-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

Lunar Map Pro™ 5.0 Deluxe Edition is the most advanced, high resolution lunar mapping mapping software. It incorporates RITI’s most recent advances in “Geographic Information System” (GIS) mapping technology. If you are a dedicated lunar observer who appreciates the advantages of using software instead of a paper atlas, this is the program you’ve been waiting for. If you love lunar eclipses, you will love this new release. This version provides high resolution eclipse graphics and local sky view dynamically. The price is US$89.95.

Lunar Map Pro™ 5.0 Essentials Edition is a lighter, low-cost version of the highly respected Lunar Map Pro™ 5.0 Deluxe Edition. Designed for lunar enthusiasts who prefer the advantages of software over a paper atlas, it utilizes the same advanced GIS technology found in Deluxe Edition, but eliminates the most resource intensive features. This also makes Essentials Edition an ideal choice for experienced observers using older computers, since it requires significantly less processing speed, RAM, and hard drive space. The software is available on RITI store at www.riti.com. The price is US$35.

Impact landing ends SMART-1 mission to the Moon

2006-09-03T22:50:00.000-07:00

Early this morning, a small flash illuminated the surface of the Moon as the European Space Agency’s SMART-1 spacecraft impacted onto the lunar soil, in the Lake of Excellence region. The planned impact concluded a successful mission that, in addition to testing innovative space technology, had been conducting a thorough scientific exploration of the Moon for about a year and a half.

SMART-1 scientists, engineers and space operations experts witnessed the final moments of the spacecraft’s life in the night between Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 September at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), in Darmstadt, Germany. The confirmation of the impact reached ESOC at 07:42:22 CEST (05:42:22 UT), when ESA’s New Norcia ground station in Australia suddenly lost radio contact with the spacecraft. SMART-1 ended its journey in the Lake of Excellence, in the point situated at 34.4º South latitude and 46.2º West longitude.

The SMART-1 impact took place on the near side of the Moon, in a dark area just near the terminator (the line separating the day side from the night side), at a "grazing" angle between 5 and 10 degrees and a speed of about 2 kilometres per second. The impact time and location was planned to favour observations of the impact event from telescopes on Earth, and it was achieved by a series of orbit manoeuvres and corrections performed during the course of summer 2006, the last of which was done on 1 September.

Professional and amateur ground observers all around the world – from South Africa to the Canary Islands, South America, the continental United States, Hawaii, and many other locations – were watching before and during the small SMART-1 impact, hoping to spot the faint impact flash and to obtain information about the impact dynamics and about the lunar surface excavated by the spacecraft. The quality of the data and images gathered from the ground observatories – a tribute to the end of the SMART-1 mission and a possible additional contribution to lunar science - will be assessed in the days to come.

More details online at the ESA's Smart-1 Update Page.

"They've got a plot on the moon"

2006-08-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Lunar Republic Society has reported a massive spike in sales of lunar land claims to citizens of India, as well as to Indian nationals in the United States and Europe, following a recent article that appeared in the Times of India:

Anish Dasgupta and his wife Soma, residents of Howrah district, paid for the purchase on the Internet with a credit card.

The plot, Dasgupta added, was a little off Oceanus Procellarum, known as the Ocean of Storms, as mentioned in the ownership certificate he received.

He said when Russia could send a tourist to space, it was not a far-fetched notion to reside on lunar surface. "But then, if people think I'm looney, let them think so," he added.

The Lunar Republic Society is using the proceeds from sales of the lunar land claims to fund private settlement and development of the Moon in cooperation with commercial space contractors in the United States and India. The society recently partnered with the National Geographic Society in a promotion to celebrate the launch of the National Geographic Channel's fall television season.

Lunar Republic, National Geographic Team For Property Promo

2006-03-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

From the Lunar Republic Society's marketing department:

The Lunar Republic Society played a key role in the National Geographic Channel's 2006 upfront presentation, which was held on March 9 at Metrazur inside Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The upfronts are held annually by each television network to present their upcoming program schedule to critics, advertisers, media planners and other VIPs.

The National Geographic Channel's event, staged by Empire Entertainment, included several "diversions" in addition to showcasing the network's Fall programs, with a space ride, a baby animal zoo and a large-scale version of "Operation," the classic children's game, featuring a yeti. A photo booth, in which guests could dress up as gladiators and pose for digital photos, was used to promote NGC's "Spartacus" special, while a sculptor built miniature versions of famous buildings to promote the network's "Superstructures" series.

In place of the common "gift bag" given out at events such as this, each guest was presented with a framed deed to an acre of property in the Moon's Bay of Rainbows (Sinus Iridum). The National Geographic Channel arranged to set aside a 500-acre section of land for its guests in cooperation with the Lunar Republic Society, which is offering lunar land claims as a unique fundraiser toward its private effort to explore and settle small sections of the Moon.

Each guest received a personalized commemorative deed which was designed by NGC Creative especially for the occasion, along with detailed information about their property and the region it is located in.

The Lunar Republic Society's program, which includes funding scholarships and its "Classroom: Moon" elementary school education course, will culminate with the establishment of permanent lunar settlements for research, tourism and development by 2015.

Space Reporter Explores Current Lunar Ice Understandings

2006-03-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

The space community is still not sure whether or not water ice exists at the Moon's poles, but there shouldn't be any problem with astronauts using it in situ, according to Space.com.

For his 6 March article, Senior Space Writer Leonard David interviewed lunar experts Ben Bussey of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Apollo 17 Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt and Larry Taylor of the University of Tennessee's Planetary Geosciences Institute. All three say there is unconfirmed data showing only a possibility water ice may exist in permanently shadowed craters.

The NASA Vision for Space Exploration's first step toward the Moon, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, will look for this ice, but Taylor says the truth will only be known from the ground, explaining how orbital readings from even the best instruments aren't definitive. Assuming there is water ice on the Moon, Harold Bashor, author of The Moon Treaty Paradox, tells Space.com "there will be legal implications." Resources on the Moon can't be owned, but can be used to enable operations.

Scottish space law expert Virgiliu Pop notes how even "the legal status of ice right here on Earth is not completely settled," but "several icebergs have been mined for ice without any protests." He tells Space.com, "My own interpretation is that anybody is allowed to use lunar ice, provided there is enough for others to use."

Source: www.Space.com.

New LOX / Methane Rocket Engine May Be Used to Support Return to Moon

2005-11-25T18:40:00.000-08:00

XCOR Aerospace (Mojave, Calif.) successfully fired its 3M9 LOX/methane engine in four short pulses on 23 November 2005, according to the company's news release.

"This test demonstrates the rapid stop and restart pulse mode, and minimum impulse bit that are required for reaction control system applications," said XCOR President Jeff Greason. The pulses were done with self-pressurizing propellants and are part of development for an advanced regeneratively cooled LOX/methane engine for space applications.

Such engines show promise to provide higher performance necessary for human lunar missions and have been recognized by NASA in its ESAS study of how to return to the Moon. "The LOX/methane system was also desirable to eliminate the operability issues related to hypergols and to enable the use of in-situ methane on Mars and oxygen on the Moon and Mars," the study stated.

In addition to higher performance, the engines have many advantages over current systems, such as long-term storability necessary for human Moon or Mars missions, and its non-toxic nature that lowers operations costs, enhances crew safety and is environmentally safer.

Beijing authorities suspend license of "Lunar Embassy"

2005-11-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

(Xinhua/China Daily Updated: 2005-11-07 21:41)

Beijing industrial and commercial authorities have suspended the license of a company claiming to sell land on the moon for engagement in speculation and profiteering.

The Beijing Lunar Village Aeronautics Science and Technology Co., Ltd. with domestic financing, was registered on September 5 but has now stopped operation, said a source with the Chaoyang District Branch of the Beijing Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce over the weekend.

The so-called Lunar Embassy in China claimed that one can purchase an acre on the moon for 298 yuan (37 US dollars) through the company. The company started operation on October 19.

The Lunar Embassy issued customers a "certificate" that ensured property ownership including rights to use the land and minerals up to three kilometers underground, Li Jie, chief executive officer of the company was quoted as saying by earlier reports.

A Chaoyang District branch official said that according to state regulations, all activities which are in violation of state laws and regulations, and disturb social and economic order are regarded to be engaged in speculation and profiteering.

The branch official said that the Lunar Embassy is suspected ofbeing engaged such infractions. Further investigation into the case will continue, the branch official said.

The Chaoyang District branch together with local police also seized invoices, "permits" of ownership of land on the moon, relevant documents, files of employees and more than 10,000 yuan (about 1,200 US dollars) involved in the company's business.

Li Jie, CEO of Lunar Embassy, said that 34 clients bought 49 acres of land on the moon in the first three days after his company became operational. The deals involve more than 14,000 yuan.

Li said he would cooperate the industrial and commercial authorities' investigation and expected to reopen his business when policies permit.

Earlier investigations by the Beijing Municipal Adminsitration for Industry and Commerce and the Chaoyang District branch show that the Lunar Embassy in China was registered to do businesses covering space travel, development of the moon and sales of land on the moon.

With a registered capital of 10 million yuan (1.23 million US dollars), the company has actually turned in only 100,000 yuan, a source with the administration was quoted as saying by the Beijing News.

In a different investigation, the Chaoyang District Branch of the Beijing Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce found that sale of land on the moon was not listed as the company's business when it was registered, according to early reports by the Beijing News.

China's Lunar Embassy claimed to be the sole agent in China for US-based Lunar Embassy, but it could not provide any materials put on record in the United States other than an authorization certificate by the US company, earlier investigations showed.

An earlier report said that Li Jie was nominated as the agent in China by Dennis Hope, a US entrepreneur who founded the first extraterrestrial estate agency Lunar Embassy in 1980, 11 years after the Apollo II mission first landed people on the moon.

Hope thinks a loophole exists in the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty, which forbids governments from owning extraterrestrial property but fails to mention corporations or individuals.

Despite the aforementioned deal with Lunar Embassy in China and telephone orders Li Jie claimed to have received from moonstruck people in the country, some doubt the legitimacy of thetrading and others even regard it as fraud or a joke.

"It's ridiculous! The moon belongs to all mankind, so how can acompany sell it?" said a man surnamed Xu, who works at a media group in Beijing.

Lunar Society Announces Release Of Latest Moon Properties

2005-11-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

Sales of latest tract will benefit commercial exploration of the Moon, advocacy group says.

New York (PR Newswire) November 6, 2005 -- The Lunar Republic Society, the largest international organization dedicated to privatized exploration, settlement and development of the Moon, has announced the release of its latest property tract in the Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds).

The tract, which encompasses 4,000 acres, has been provisionally zoned for tourism, scientific industrial and commercial industrial use, according to David Ferrell Jackson, North America market manager for the Lunar Registry, the authorized land claim sales agency representing the Lunar Republic Society.

“The Clouds region has been one of our most popular areas since we began offering properties in 1999,” Jackson said. “This latest release is in a highly desirable section of Clouds, adjacent to our other tracts, and will be perfect for future development as a tourist destination and permanent settlement.”

The initial release price per acre for properties within the tract -- the seventh offered by the organization in the Sea of Clouds -- is US$29.95 (€25.36 at the current exchange rate). For a limited time, a special discounted price of US$45.00 (€38.10) is offered on the purchase of two acres in the new tract.

As part of a unique program to raise funds for privatized exploration of the Moon, the Lunar Republic Society offers land claims to select areas on the Moon to the public. The properties offered represent less than 2% of the total lunar surface. The Society expects to raise US$3-billion through the program, with a goal of establishing permanent settlements on the Moon by 2015.

During the past year, the Society has added several prominent new owners to its land claim program, including Steve Wynn of Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts, Ltd., and Stelios Haji-Ioannou (Στέλιος Χατζηιωάννου) of easyGroup (UK) Ltd., headquartered in London.

Wynn Resorts currently controls 225 acres of prime land in the Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Serenity), which may be developed into a resort and entertainment complex in the future. The Wynn properties are located near a proposed transportation hub that will service the northern Serenity region.

The burgeoning easyGroup (http://www.easy.com), known for its “easy”-branded ventures, including easyJet, easyHotel and easyCruise, currently controls a key 250-acre section of land in the Mare Vaporum (Sea of Vapors), which is zoned primarily for tourism and will eventually be the location of a major operations base, according to the Society.

In addition to its lunar land claims program, the Lunar Republic Society has also developed the most successful commercially-available lunar photomap software ever released to the public, the Full Moon Atlas (http://www.fullmoonatlas.com), and successfully advocated the removal of a crater named for an accused Nazi war criminal, Dr. Hans Eppinger, Jr., by the International Astronomical Union.

The Lunar Republic Society is a registered International Business Company (IBC #519589) currently authorized to operate in more than 200 nations around the world, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, China, Japan and India, as well as all other nations in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The Society’s main operations hubs are in Hong Kong and on the Isle of Man (U.K.). It maintains a satellite office in Manhattan for business operations in the United States and Canada.

Sea Of Clouds Property Information: http://www.lunarregistry.com/land/clouds.shtml
Sea Of Clouds Property Map: http://www.lunarrepublic.com/atlas/sections/f3.shtml

# # #

"Head Cheese" Selling Novelty Moon In China

2005-10-20T00:25:00.000-07:00

China may be years away from a lunar landing but one company is offering a piece of "land" there right now.

The so-called Lunar Embassy, through which one can purchase an acre on the moon for 298 yuan (US$37), started operations yesterday in Beijing.

Li Jie, chief executive officer of Beijing Lunar Village Aeronautics Science Co Ltd, said his company is the sole agent in China for US-based Lunar Embassy.

The area? Between 20 and 24 degrees latitude north and 30 to 34 degrees longitude west, the company says.

Lunar Embassy will issue customers a "certificate" that ensures property ownership including rights to use the land and minerals up to 3 kilometres underground, Li said.

"We define it as a kind of novelty gift with the potential of unlimited increase in value," said Li, who was nominated as the agent in China by Dennis Hope, a US entrepreneur who founded the first extraterrestrial estate agency Lunar Embassy in 1980, 11 years after the Apollo II mission first landed people on the moon.

Hope, self-anointed "Head Cheese" of the Lunar Embassy, thinks a loophole in the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty makes his property sales legitimate. The agreement forbids governments from owning extraterrestrial property, but fails to mention corporations or individuals.

"I have 3.5 million customers including ex-US presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter and movie stars who have purchased land on the moon," said Hope at a press conference yesterday in Beijing. China is the eighth country to have a Lunar Embassy after the United States, Germany, Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, he said.

And there appear to be at least some moonstruck people in China Li told reporters that he had received more than 400 telephone orders in the past few days.

Meanwhile, not all believe that the trading is legal; and some even regard it as fraud or a joke.

"It is sheer speculation," said Xia Xueluan, a sociologist with the Peking University, adding that many countries are speeding up research on lunar exploration, but no single person has the entity right to own property.

Besides, the Chaoyang District branch of Beijing's Administration for Industry and Commerce has launched an investigation into the company, according to media reports.

The Chaoyang bureau staff said sale of land on the moon was not listed as the company's business when it was registered, and they would consult space and aeronautic authorities on laws or regulations before they rule on the legitimacy of the company's practice, reported Beijing News.

Li counters by saying that his company was registered on September 5 after finishing all necessary commercial and industrial registration procedures.

He also told reporters that Lunar Embassy had contacted the Chinese Society of Astronautics, which is the only national organization of its kind in China, to seek co-operation.

But an official with the society denied the assertion.

"We did contact the company but decided not to continue with the matter because we believe purchasing lunar land is not feasible," said the official who did not want to be identified.

(China Daily 10/20/2005 page1)

A Cool Moon-Related Job

2005-10-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Forwarded to me by Spacemarshall - http://bangalore.craigslist.org/gov/101814203.html

Space Technology Liaison

The Lunar Republic Society (LRS), a leading international community of space development enthusiasts, is seeking a Space Technology Liaison (STL) to establish and sustain a local relationship between the LRS and representatives of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

This contracted position will involve meeting with various representatives of ISRO on our behalf to develop relationships and maintain communications with key personnel within both organizations to expedite expansion of a joint program to explore, settle and develop selected regions of the Moon by 2015. LRS is committed to providing approximately US$3-billion toward this project, which will not rely upon taxpayer or other governmental funding.

Certain specific governmental space technology, transport vehicle and launch facilities, including those of ISRO, Rosaviakosmos (Russia Space Agency) and the European Space Agency, as well as those of commercial space contractors, are invited and are expected to participate in this project.

The preferred candidate for the Space Technology Liaison in India must have a working knowledge of aeronautics and space technology. A college degree and/or experience in space technology with a commercial contractor or with a government agency is a plus. Must be fluent in English.

This is not a fulltime position, but may lead to permanent employment with LRS or its subsidiary agencies. It is expected that this position may require approximately 20 hours of the contractor’s time per month. Salary is estimated at US$500 per month, commensurate with experience, education, and other qualifications.

How to Apply

Preferred method is to submit a cover letter, résumé, transcript copies (unofficial are acceptable), short writing sample, and at least one reference, BY MAIL ONLY to the address below. Alternatively, you may fax application materials to (000 117) 212-214-0754. Submissions via email will not be accepted.

Please refer to Space Technology Annct. 10-01 in your cover letter and indicate how you learned of this opportunity.

LUNAR REPUBLIC SOCIETY
SPACE TECHNOLOGY ANNCT 10-01
244 FIFTH AVENUE, ROOM 2757
NEW YORK, NY 10001-7945 USA

Web site: http://www.lunarrepublic.org

Be advised that due to security measures, all mail to LRS is delayed.

LRS is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer 10/03/2005

How to set up a moon base

2005-08-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

By Megan Lane
BBC News Magazine

If money were no object, what would it take to build a moon base fit for human habitation? Nasa is looking into just that, using the Hubble Space Telescope to hunt for suitable locations. And what if they build on one of the millions of plots already "sold" by entrepreneurs?

It's easy - relatively - to visit to the Moon, just five days' spaceflight from the Earth. What's considerably more complicated is to set up a lunar base where humans can live, work and breathe.

That's just what Nasa is trying to do, using the Hubble Space Telescope to scout possible locations as part of George Bush's push to revisit the Moon by 2018.

Air, water and electricity are the key requirements of any habitation. Because it would be prohibitively expensive to ship out supplies, these would need to be produced on the Moon itself. For the raw materials are in plentiful - if not easily extractable - supply.

Nasa looking at three locations

What Nasa is looking for are sites with a good supply of ilmenite, a mineral from which to extract oxygen, hydrogen and helium. As well as producing air and water, the flammable gases could be burned to generate electricity. Nasa scientists know to look for ilmenite, as it was found in soil samples brought back by the Apollo missions.

"You'd also want to use lunar rocks as building supplies - it is so costly to lift even an extra kilo of steel into space, running to many hundreds of thousands of dollars," says Professor Colin Pillinger, the planetary scientist best known for heading the ill-fated Beagle 2 mission to Mars.

"It would be not too difficult to make bricks and mortar from lunar rocks, and ilmenite would provide a nice supply of titanium, a light strong metal, and iron."

'Dark side' of the Moon

As a moon base would doubtless be involved in research, its equipment would need to be shielded from the interference spewed out by Earth's electronic chatter. This means a site on the far side of the Moon, says Professor Pillinger.

You'd want to use lunar rocks as building supplies - it is so costly to lift even an extra kilo of steel into space

Which does rather leave its inhabitants stuck for communicating with those back home. The answer, he says, is to deploy a battery of satellites to relay messages.

Then there are the extremes of temperature - ranging from about 100C down to at least -73C - the risk of solar flares and damage done by abrasive moon dust.

While planning permission is not an issue - there is no law in space - a claim of ownership has been made by US entrepreneur Dennis Hope, who in 1980 spotted a loophole in the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty.

Although no country or government can lay claim to extraterrestrial land, it makes no mention of individual or corporate ownership. Plots have been put up for sale ever since, although the loophole has been proven to not exist.

UN lawyers say Mr Hope's claim on the Moon is without merit, and no government has yet recognised his claim. That, obviously, also goes for the 3.4m people to whom he has sold lunar plots, and those who have bought from rival companies.

Mr Hope predicts moon-based colonies within 12 years, and is a key investor in the TransOrbital project, which aims to launch the first private commercial flight to the Moon at the end of the year. The ship will carry a CD detailing Lunar Embassy's ownership rights as the company believes this staking process will stand up under US property law at least.

TransOrbital's planned launch was originally set for 1999, but has been postponed each year since then without further explanation.

His rivals, too, hope to turn lunar property into reality. The Lunar Registry says proceeds from its sales go towards the Kennedy II Project, a private venture to establish a permanent, self-supporting community by the end of the decade.

Lunar Registry, the marketing branch of the international Lunar Republic Society, has chosen a limited number of select locations on the Moon to offer as part of its plan to colonize and develop it. Along with nearly all members of the commercial space community, they consider Mr Hope's claim to be ludicrous.

"We do not believe that one person does -- or even should -- own the Moon," Michelle Ricci, a spokesperson for the Lunar Republic Society said. "We think that any such claim is preposterous, and that any logical-minded person can see through it as a sham with no legal basis. The only way that true ownership of the Moon, or of any real property, can be legally valid is by occupation."

Private Company Plans $100 Million Tour Around the Moon

2005-08-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

From the New York Times:

By John Schwartz

One day after NASA brought the shuttle Discovery back from low Earth orbit, a private company plans to announce a more audacious venture, a tourist trip around the Moon.

Space Adventures, a company based in Arlington, Va., has already sent two tourists into orbit. Today, it is to unveil an agreement with Russian space officials to send two passengers on a voyage lasting 10 to 21 days, depending partly on its itinerary and whether it includes the International Space Station.

A roundtrip ticket will cost $100 million.

The space-faring tourists will travel with a Russian pilot. They will steer clear of the greater technical challenge of landing on the Moon, instead circling it and returning to Earth.

Eric Anderson, the chief executive of Space Adventures, said he believed the trip could be accomplished as early as 2008. Mr. Anderson said he had already received expressions of interest from a few potential clients.

The Soyuz vehicle to be used does not have the power to reach the Moon on its own, so the Russians have devised a plan to send up a booster. The Soyuz would dock with the booster, either in low Earth orbit or at the International Space Station.

The booster would take the passengers the rest of the way. The price of the two tickets, Mr. Anderson said, would pay for the costs of the Moon shot. His company's demographic research, he said, suggests that 500 to 1,000 people in the world can afford to do this.

"It's the same number of people who could afford to buy a $100 million yacht," Mr. Anderson added. Two people who have already paid Space Adventures to go into orbit, at a reported $20 million apiece, applauded the new initiative though they said they were not sure they would try the Moon orbit.

Dennis Tito, a financier who in 2001 became the first space tourist, said that he found the idea fascinating but added that he doubted he would make such a trip. Having just turned 65, and with the Moon orbit at least a few years away, he said he might be too old for the rigors of the voyage.

"I would be considering it if I were younger, and I had that kind of money to spare," Mr. Tito said.

Another Space Adventures client, Greg Olsen, who made millions in the sale of his camera technology company, Sensors Unlimited, is preparing to visit the space station for several days in October. Of the Moon trip, he said, "It's certainly intriguing, and it's something I'd like to do."

Will he buy a ticket, then? "One trip at a time," he replied.

The trip seems feasible, said Dr. John M. Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University. "As a nontechnical person, I don't see any technical showstoppers," Dr. Logsdon said, "if people are crazy enough to do it."

And, he added, it would make "a lot of money for the Russians."

Christopher C. Kraft, a former director of the Johnson Space Center, said his feelings about the enterprise were mixed. "I think it would be a fantastic journey," he said. "I could see why, if I had the price of the ticket and could use the money that way, that it would be tempting to go."

But Mr. Kraft added that the flight would be cramped and probably extremely unpleasant. With three people in a small Soyuz craft for an extended trip, he said, "I imagine that you could endure that, but, man, it would be tough."

Mr. Anderson of Space Adventures said the craft had about as much room as a sport utility vehicle. "Will it be cramped? Yes," he said. "But will it be doable? Yes."

He noted that the Gemini capsule was smaller than the Soyuz, and that the astronauts James A. Lovell and Frank Borman orbited the Earth for 14 days in the Gemini 7 mission in 1965.

But Mr. Kraft, who was the flight director for that mission, recalled that Mr. Lovell and Mr. Borman were miserable. They complained bitterly that the trip was like "14 days in a men's room," and Mr. Kraft said that he had to talk them out of ending the mission early. "They wanted to get out of there," he said.

Mr. Anderson said the timing of the announcement was not meant to tweak the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "We believe private space flight and space exploration can go hand in hand, and can coexist and benefit each other," he said. Government, he said, should focus "on things that private companies cannot do," like exploring other planets. His company's system, he said, could eventually be a subcontractor, offering transportation services to a government Moon base.

"I just love the idea of demonstrating that things can be done for less money than people thought, and paradigms can be shifted," he said. "Space flight can be opened up."

Indian buys plot on moon for US$140

2005-03-28T13:47:00.000-08:00

From the Times of India:

HYDERABAD: An entrepreneur here seems to be over the moon for having bought a five-acre lunar plot and has the legal deed to endorse the claim though how he plans to live there is still a mystery.

"If it is not possible during my life time, may be in the next generation," says Rajeev V Bagdi who bought the plot of land on the moon through an Internet transaction for US$140.

Ownership of the property has been "authorised by the Lunar Republic and registered with International Lunar Lands Registry in New York and Paris," a moonstruck Bagdi said.

He has a deed issued by the Lunar Republic Society and signed by its legal public registrar on July 27, 2003, that reads, "Rajeev V Bagdi is recorded as the true and legal owner of the properties located at Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) 32.8 degree North latitude, 15.6 degree West longitude."

The Lunar Republic Society, according to its website, has more than 13,000 active members. It claims to have sold more than 850,000 acres on the Moon as part of its plan to privately finance settlement of selected parts of the lunar surface.

"I am in the habit of taking risks," he says, "if this venture brings me fortune, I will be very happy."

Bagdi, an MBA, is in the cement business. A bachelor, he is living with his two brothers in a joint family of 28 members and now spells his name as Rajzeev V Baagree for numerological reasons.

Based on Bagdi's investment, thousands of like-minded Indians have also purchased property on the Moon under the Lunar Republic Society program, which is reportedly working in cooperation with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and commercial space contractors in the United States, India and Europe to implement privatised settlement and development of certain areas on the Moon by 2015.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, President of India, is among the notable property owners under this scheme. Citizens of India, both here and abroad, make up the third-largest group of lunar property owners, exceeded only by the United States and the United Kingdom. The largest tracts of moon land are currently held by private owners from Spain and the United Arab Emirates.

International Lunar Observatory Initiative Announces Formation of Advisory Committee, New Website

2005-01-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

Group Will Seek to Define Astrophysics From the Moon (Mission) Objectives and Priorities

The International Lunar Observatory (ILO) initiative saw significant progress in 2004. After researching the benefits and possibilities of conducting lunar astronomy (astronomy from the Moon), the originator of the project, Space Age Publishing Company (SPC), has convened a network of about 20 of the world’s foremost lunar development and astronomical experts to serve on the initial ILO Advisory Committee. The formation of the Committee is complemented by a new ILO website linked to www.spaceagepub.com by SPC at the start of the new year.

Members of the ILO Advisory Committee hail from Canada, Japan, India, Russia, Europe and across the USA. They are considered to be among the world’s leading astronomers, astrophysicists, observatory technicians, space authors, engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers and visionaries, and occupy important positions throughout the international space community. Additional members are currently being identified in China as well as other key global space and astrophysics centers.

Committee members will spend 2005 determining the most meaningful scientific return possible from placement of a small robotic telescope at the lunar South Pole. Many ILO Advisory Committee members are also members of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG), the world’s foremost network of space science professionals involved in lunar exploration. The ILO Advisory Committee is also tasked with helping to gain institutional support for the ILO mission.

The new ILO website delivers updates and detailed information on the ILO initiative. The site also contains detailed information on the benefits humanity gains by conducting astrophysics from the Moon and the field’s brief history, which includes Captain John Young’s use of a telescope/camera in the shadow of the Lunar Module during 1972’s Apollo 16 mission.

The new ILO webpages can be found at www.spaceagepub.com/ilo.