** The Official Space Flight Thread - The Space Station and Beyond **

I do t understand why you would do that. That would massively reduce pay load and for what benefit?
Surly a parachute decent with extras would save weight and save the craft from damage.
 
Yeah, parachutes might weigh a bit but nothing compared to the fuel you need to land safely, or the extra motors and fuel you would need to make sure you landed in the correct orientation. The case is pretty strong for unpowered descent, be it from a parachute, fixed wing, deployable wing (ala Rogallo), airbag or whatever.

Anyway, i've just heard about the Lunar X-Prize. While i don't doubt that people with the right knowledge could build a rover, and with enough resources could even build a lander - i can't really imagine any of the contenders getting into space in the first place (never mind with enough payload to get to the moon). Eventually perhaps, but certainly not by the deadline.
 
When's the deadline?

I could see virgin galactic going for it, but not before it's established space tourism.

Don't these prizes usually get a new dead line when they expire.
 
This is one day we will look back upon, 4th October 1957. The day the space race began when the first artificial satellite was put into Earth's orbit. That satellite was Sputnik 1:

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sputnik1800.jpg

Sputnik 1

On Oct. 4, 1957, Sputnik 1 successfully launched and entered Earth's orbit. Thus, began the space age. The successful launch shocked the world, giving the former Soviet Union the distinction of putting the first human-made object into space. The word 'Sputnik' originally meant 'fellow traveler,' but has become synonymous with 'satellite' in modern Russian.

This historic image shows a technician putting the finishing touches on Sputnik 1, humanity's first artificial satellite. The pressurized sphere made of aluminum alloy had five primary scientific objectives: Test the method of placing an artificial satellite into Earth orbit; provide information on the density of the atmosphere by calculating its lifetime in orbit; test radio and optical methods of orbital tracking; determine the effects of radio wave propagation though the atmosphere; and, check principles of pressurization used on the satellites.

Image Credit: NASA/Asif A. Siddiqi
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1
 
Something which struck me as odd and interesting from free falling around earth video, Was when it was over the thunder storms below and the lightning flashes, well you could see some of the reflection flashes on the ship itself..quite amazing i thought.
 
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