SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

[JohnnyApplesack]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

 

[ABikerSailor]

They haven't said who the two people are, but Musk said that they ARE NOT Hollyweird types. I really hope that he can make this thing work out. The plan is to have them fly around the Moon, but not land on it. I heard on the news this evening that the whole trip would take about 5 days.

You know, if they get this to where it becomes commercially viable, I think that every world leader who is elected to office should have their country shoot them into low orbit so that they could see that we all live on the same planet and that we should all try to get along because of that.

 

[Harry Dresden]

They haven't said who the two people are, but Musk said that they ARE NOT Hollyweird types. I really hope that he can make this thing work out. The plan is to have them fly around the Moon, but not land on it. I heard on the news this evening that the whole trip would take about 5 days.

You know, if they get this to where it becomes commercially viable, I think that every world leader who is elected to office should have their country shoot them into low orbit so that they could see that we all live on the same planet and that we should all try to get along because of that.

maybe they could leave them all up there.....yes,no?.....

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

They're gonna die. All I ever hear about SpaceX is they keep blowing up rockets. Kinda like N Korea.

 

[ABikerSailor]

They're gonna die. All I ever hear about SpaceX is they keep blowing up rockets. Kinda like N Korea.

Guess you haven't been watching the news as of late. They have successfully landed rockets 8 times now.

SpaceX has successfully landed 8 rockets — watch them all in 60 seconds

 

[ABikerSailor]

They haven't said who the two people are, but Musk said that they ARE NOT Hollyweird types. I really hope that he can make this thing work out. The plan is to have them fly around the Moon, but not land on it. I heard on the news this evening that the whole trip would take about 5 days.

You know, if they get this to where it becomes commercially viable, I think that every world leader who is elected to office should have their country shoot them into low orbit so that they could see that we all live on the same planet and that we should all try to get along because of that.

maybe they could leave them all up there.....yes,no?.....

Naaahh................we've got enough junk and garbage in orbit already.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

This will be a very risky undertaking. I always dreamed about going into space, but as a tourist I think I would rather wait a couple more decades until they perfect it a bit more.

 

[ABikerSailor]

This will be a very risky undertaking. I always dreamed about going into space, but as a tourist I think I would rather wait a couple more decades until they perfect it a bit more.

Well, Mr. Musk is a very smart man, and I don't think that he would risk someone's life unnecessarily. If he says that they are good to go, then I trust they are good to go. He's done a REMARKABLE amount of work in technology, and damn near everything he's built has been very well designed.

You know, if I somehow won enough on the lottery to take a trip into orbit, I'd jump at the chance.

 

[Weatherman2020]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

 

[Fang]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Two thrill seeking rich guys "will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind". Is this a joke?

 

[ABikerSailor]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

You are aware that technology has come a LONG way since the Saturn V program, right? There is more computing power in a smart phone than what the Saturn V had for the whole of their onboard computers. And, there is the FACT that SpaceX has successfully launched a rocket into orbit and landed it back on earth safely over 8 times so far.

Nope, if I had the money and was able to go, I'd trust the tech to get me there and back safely.

 

[Weatherman2020]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

You are aware that technology has come a LONG way since the Saturn V program, right? There is more computing power in a smart phone than what the Saturn V had for the whole of their onboard computers. And, there is the FACT that SpaceX has successfully launched a rocket into orbit and landed it back on earth safely over 8 times so far.

Nope, if I had the money and was able to go, I'd trust the tech to get me there and back safely.

Computers do not give you TLI. 8 million lbf of thrust does.
Comparing what Space X has launched with something that gives you that thrust is like comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

You are aware that technology has come a LONG way since the Saturn V program, right? There is more computing power in a smart phone than what the Saturn V had for the whole of their onboard computers. And, there is the FACT that SpaceX has successfully launched a rocket into orbit and landed it back on earth safely over 8 times so far.

Nope, if I had the money and was able to go, I'd trust the tech to get me there and back safely.

Computers do not give you TLI. 8 million lbf of thrust does.
Comparing what Space X has launched with something that gives you that thrust is like comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

Here's the stats on their latest engine..........................
SuperDraco
Main article: SuperDraco
SuperDraco storable-propellant hypergolic engines generate 67,000 newtons (15,000 lbf) of thrust, making the SuperDraco the second most powerful engine developed by SpaceX, more than 200 times[25] more powerful than the regular Draco RCS thruster engines. By comparison, it is more than two times as powerful as the Kestrel engine used in SpaceX's Falcon 1 launch vehicle second stage, and about 1/9 the thrust of a Merlin 1D engine. They will be used as Launch Abort System engines on the version 2 Dragon spacecraft, Dragon V2, for crew transport to low-Earth orbit, as well as entry, descent and landing control of the proposed Red Dragon robotic probe to Mars.

SpaceX rocket engines - Wikipedia

And......Space X has one HUGE advantage over the Saturn V program, their rockets are reuseable, the Saturn V was a one shot rocket.

 

[Weatherman2020]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

You are aware that technology has come a LONG way since the Saturn V program, right? There is more computing power in a smart phone than what the Saturn V had for the whole of their onboard computers. And, there is the FACT that SpaceX has successfully launched a rocket into orbit and landed it back on earth safely over 8 times so far.

Nope, if I had the money and was able to go, I'd trust the tech to get me there and back safely.

Computers do not give you TLI. 8 million lbf of thrust does.
Comparing what Space X has launched with something that gives you that thrust is like comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

Here's the stats on their latest engine..........................
SuperDraco
Main article: SuperDraco
SuperDraco storable-propellant hypergolic engines generate 67,000 newtons (15,000 lbf) of thrust, making the SuperDraco the second most powerful engine developed by SpaceX, more than 200 times[25] more powerful than the regular Draco RCS thruster engines. By comparison, it is more than two times as powerful as the Kestrel engine used in SpaceX's Falcon 1 launch vehicle second stage, and about 1/9 the thrust of a Merlin 1D engine. They will be used as Launch Abort System engines on the version 2 Dragon spacecraft, Dragon V2, for crew transport to low-Earth orbit, as well as entry, descent and landing control of the proposed Red Dragon robotic probe to Mars.

SpaceX rocket engines - Wikipedia

And......Space X has one HUGE advantage over the Saturn V program, their rockets are reuseable, the Saturn V was a one shot rocket.

So how are they mounting 533 of these engines on one rocket?
Each of the F-1 engines on the Saturn V put out 1.75 million lbf.

Comprende on el gapo here?

 

[ABikerSailor]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

You are aware that technology has come a LONG way since the Saturn V program, right? There is more computing power in a smart phone than what the Saturn V had for the whole of their onboard computers. And, there is the FACT that SpaceX has successfully launched a rocket into orbit and landed it back on earth safely over 8 times so far.

Nope, if I had the money and was able to go, I'd trust the tech to get me there and back safely.

Computers do not give you TLI. 8 million lbf of thrust does.
Comparing what Space X has launched with something that gives you that thrust is like comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

Here's the specs on the Merlin engine developed by Space X.......

Merlin 1
Main article: Merlin (rocket engine family)
Merlin 1 is a family of LOX/RP-1 rocket engines developed 2003–2012. Merlin 1A and Merlin 1B utilized an ablatively cooled carbon fiber composite nozzle. Merlin 1A produced 340 kilonewtons (76,000 lbf) of thrust and was used to power the first stage of the first two Falcon 1 flights in 2006 and 2007. Merlin 1B had a somewhat more powerful turbo-pump, and generated more thrust, but was never flown on a flight vehicle before SpaceX's move to the Merlin 1C.



Merlin 1D rocket engines on a Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle in SLC-40 hangar, April 2014
The Merlin 1C was the first in the family to use a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber. It was first fired with a full mission duty firing in 2007,[3] first flew on the third Falcon 1 mission in August 2008,[4] powered the "first privately-developed liquid-fueled rocket to successfully reach orbit" (Falcon 1 Flight 4) in September 2008,[4] and subsequently powered the first five Falcon 9 flights — each flown with a version 1.0 Falcon 9 launch vehicle — from 2010 through 2013.[5]

The Merlin 1D, was in development in 2011–2012, also with a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber, has a vacuum thrust of 690 kN (155,000 lbf), a vacuum specific impulse (Isp) of 310 s, an increased expansion ratio of 16 (as opposed to the previous 14.5 of the Merlin 1C) and chamber pressure of 9.7 MPa (1,410 psi). A new feature for the engine is the ability to throttle from 100% to 70%.[6] The engine's 150:1 thrust-to-weight ratio is the highest ever achieved for a rocket engine.[7][8] The first flight of the Merlin 1D engine was also the maiden Falcon 9 v1.1 flight.[9] On 29 September 2013, the Falcon 9 Flight 6 mission successfully launched the Canadian Space Agency's CASSIOPE satellite into polar orbit, and proved that the Merlin 1D could be restarted to control the first stage's re-entry back into the atmosphere—part of the SpaceX reusable launch system flight test program—a necessary step in making the rocket reusable.[10]

 

[Weatherman2020]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

You are aware that technology has come a LONG way since the Saturn V program, right? There is more computing power in a smart phone than what the Saturn V had for the whole of their onboard computers. And, there is the FACT that SpaceX has successfully launched a rocket into orbit and landed it back on earth safely over 8 times so far.

Nope, if I had the money and was able to go, I'd trust the tech to get me there and back safely.

Computers do not give you TLI. 8 million lbf of thrust does.
Comparing what Space X has launched with something that gives you that thrust is like comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

Here's the specs on the Merlin engine developed by Space X.......

Merlin 1
Main article: Merlin (rocket engine family)
Merlin 1 is a family of LOX/RP-1 rocket engines developed 2003–2012. Merlin 1A and Merlin 1B utilized an ablatively cooled carbon fiber composite nozzle. Merlin 1A produced 340 kilonewtons (76,000 lbf) of thrust and was used to power the first stage of the first two Falcon 1 flights in 2006 and 2007. Merlin 1B had a somewhat more powerful turbo-pump, and generated more thrust, but was never flown on a flight vehicle before SpaceX's move to the Merlin 1C.



Merlin 1D rocket engines on a Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle in SLC-40 hangar, April 2014
The Merlin 1C was the first in the family to use a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber. It was first fired with a full mission duty firing in 2007,[3] first flew on the third Falcon 1 mission in August 2008,[4] powered the "first privately-developed liquid-fueled rocket to successfully reach orbit" (Falcon 1 Flight 4) in September 2008,[4] and subsequently powered the first five Falcon 9 flights — each flown with a version 1.0 Falcon 9 launch vehicle — from 2010 through 2013.[5]

The Merlin 1D, was in development in 2011–2012, also with a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber, has a vacuum thrust of 690 kN (155,000 lbf), a vacuum specific impulse (Isp) of 310 s, an increased expansion ratio of 16 (as opposed to the previous 14.5 of the Merlin 1C) and chamber pressure of 9.7 MPa (1,410 psi). A new feature for the engine is the ability to throttle from 100% to 70%.[6] The engine's 150:1 thrust-to-weight ratio is the highest ever achieved for a rocket engine.[7][8] The first flight of the Merlin 1D engine was also the maiden Falcon 9 v1.1 flight.[9] On 29 September 2013, the Falcon 9 Flight 6 mission successfully launched the Canadian Space Agency's CASSIOPE satellite into polar orbit, and proved that the Merlin 1D could be restarted to control the first stage's re-entry back into the atmosphere—part of the SpaceX reusable launch system flight test program—a necessary step in making the rocket reusable.[10]

What's 76,000 lbf going to do when you need 8 million?

 

[Weatherman2020]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

You are aware that technology has come a LONG way since the Saturn V program, right? There is more computing power in a smart phone than what the Saturn V had for the whole of their onboard computers. And, there is the FACT that SpaceX has successfully launched a rocket into orbit and landed it back on earth safely over 8 times so far.

Nope, if I had the money and was able to go, I'd trust the tech to get me there and back safely.

Computers do not give you TLI. 8 million lbf of thrust does.
Comparing what Space X has launched with something that gives you that thrust is like comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

Here's the specs on the Merlin engine developed by Space X.......

Merlin 1
Main article: Merlin (rocket engine family)
Merlin 1 is a family of LOX/RP-1 rocket engines developed 2003–2012. Merlin 1A and Merlin 1B utilized an ablatively cooled carbon fiber composite nozzle. Merlin 1A produced 340 kilonewtons (76,000 lbf) of thrust and was used to power the first stage of the first two Falcon 1 flights in 2006 and 2007. Merlin 1B had a somewhat more powerful turbo-pump, and generated more thrust, but was never flown on a flight vehicle before SpaceX's move to the Merlin 1C.



Merlin 1D rocket engines on a Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle in SLC-40 hangar, April 2014
The Merlin 1C was the first in the family to use a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber. It was first fired with a full mission duty firing in 2007,[3] first flew on the third Falcon 1 mission in August 2008,[4] powered the "first privately-developed liquid-fueled rocket to successfully reach orbit" (Falcon 1 Flight 4) in September 2008,[4] and subsequently powered the first five Falcon 9 flights — each flown with a version 1.0 Falcon 9 launch vehicle — from 2010 through 2013.[5]

The Merlin 1D, was in development in 2011–2012, also with a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber, has a vacuum thrust of 690 kN (155,000 lbf), a vacuum specific impulse (Isp) of 310 s, an increased expansion ratio of 16 (as opposed to the previous 14.5 of the Merlin 1C) and chamber pressure of 9.7 MPa (1,410 psi). A new feature for the engine is the ability to throttle from 100% to 70%.[6] The engine's 150:1 thrust-to-weight ratio is the highest ever achieved for a rocket engine.[7][8] The first flight of the Merlin 1D engine was also the maiden Falcon 9 v1.1 flight.[9] On 29 September 2013, the Falcon 9 Flight 6 mission successfully launched the Canadian Space Agency's CASSIOPE satellite into polar orbit, and proved that the Merlin 1D could be restarted to control the first stage's re-entry back into the atmosphere—part of the SpaceX reusable launch system flight test program—a necessary step in making the rocket reusable.[10]

What's 76,000 lbf going to do when you need 8 million?

In addition, one Saturn V cost $1.6 BILLION to launch in todays dollars.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Trump and Pence would be perfect first customers

Source: CNN

Two thrill seekers are paying SpaceX to make a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the space tourists had already placed a significant deposit for the trip. The travelers will undergo fitness tests and begin training later this year.

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.

SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

You are aware that technology has come a LONG way since the Saturn V program, right? There is more computing power in a smart phone than what the Saturn V had for the whole of their onboard computers. And, there is the FACT that SpaceX has successfully launched a rocket into orbit and landed it back on earth safely over 8 times so far.

Nope, if I had the money and was able to go, I'd trust the tech to get me there and back safely.

Computers do not give you TLI. 8 million lbf of thrust does.
Comparing what Space X has launched with something that gives you that thrust is like comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

Here's the specs on the Merlin engine developed by Space X.......

Merlin 1
Main article: Merlin (rocket engine family)
Merlin 1 is a family of LOX/RP-1 rocket engines developed 2003–2012. Merlin 1A and Merlin 1B utilized an ablatively cooled carbon fiber composite nozzle. Merlin 1A produced 340 kilonewtons (76,000 lbf) of thrust and was used to power the first stage of the first two Falcon 1 flights in 2006 and 2007. Merlin 1B had a somewhat more powerful turbo-pump, and generated more thrust, but was never flown on a flight vehicle before SpaceX's move to the Merlin 1C.



Merlin 1D rocket engines on a Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle in SLC-40 hangar, April 2014
The Merlin 1C was the first in the family to use a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber. It was first fired with a full mission duty firing in 2007,[3] first flew on the third Falcon 1 mission in August 2008,[4] powered the "first privately-developed liquid-fueled rocket to successfully reach orbit" (Falcon 1 Flight 4) in September 2008,[4] and subsequently powered the first five Falcon 9 flights — each flown with a version 1.0 Falcon 9 launch vehicle — from 2010 through 2013.[5]

The Merlin 1D, was in development in 2011–2012, also with a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber, has a vacuum thrust of 690 kN (155,000 lbf), a vacuum specific impulse (Isp) of 310 s, an increased expansion ratio of 16 (as opposed to the previous 14.5 of the Merlin 1C) and chamber pressure of 9.7 MPa (1,410 psi). A new feature for the engine is the ability to throttle from 100% to 70%.[6] The engine's 150:1 thrust-to-weight ratio is the highest ever achieved for a rocket engine.[7][8] The first flight of the Merlin 1D engine was also the maiden Falcon 9 v1.1 flight.[9] On 29 September 2013, the Falcon 9 Flight 6 mission successfully launched the Canadian Space Agency's CASSIOPE satellite into polar orbit, and proved that the Merlin 1D could be restarted to control the first stage's re-entry back into the atmosphere—part of the SpaceX reusable launch system flight test program—a necessary step in making the rocket reusable.[10]

What's 76,000 lbf going to do when you need 8 million?

Are you sure that is what is required to make it to the moon? And, just like the Saturn V program did, you can have several engines in several stages. I think Saturn V had different stages with 4 engines each.

 

[Weatherman2020]

Forget the people, forget the capsule, forget the money.

Took a Saturn V, the worlds largest rocket ever built, to get our guys there in 3 days.
They are not going to rebuild something of that caliber and get it to space in one piece.

You are aware that technology has come a LONG way since the Saturn V program, right? There is more computing power in a smart phone than what the Saturn V had for the whole of their onboard computers. And, there is the FACT that SpaceX has successfully launched a rocket into orbit and landed it back on earth safely over 8 times so far.

Nope, if I had the money and was able to go, I'd trust the tech to get me there and back safely.

Computers do not give you TLI. 8 million lbf of thrust does.
Comparing what Space X has launched with something that gives you that thrust is like comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

Here's the specs on the Merlin engine developed by Space X.......

Merlin 1
Main article: Merlin (rocket engine family)
Merlin 1 is a family of LOX/RP-1 rocket engines developed 2003–2012. Merlin 1A and Merlin 1B utilized an ablatively cooled carbon fiber composite nozzle. Merlin 1A produced 340 kilonewtons (76,000 lbf) of thrust and was used to power the first stage of the first two Falcon 1 flights in 2006 and 2007. Merlin 1B had a somewhat more powerful turbo-pump, and generated more thrust, but was never flown on a flight vehicle before SpaceX's move to the Merlin 1C.



Merlin 1D rocket engines on a Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle in SLC-40 hangar, April 2014
The Merlin 1C was the first in the family to use a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber. It was first fired with a full mission duty firing in 2007,[3] first flew on the third Falcon 1 mission in August 2008,[4] powered the "first privately-developed liquid-fueled rocket to successfully reach orbit" (Falcon 1 Flight 4) in September 2008,[4] and subsequently powered the first five Falcon 9 flights — each flown with a version 1.0 Falcon 9 launch vehicle — from 2010 through 2013.[5]

The Merlin 1D, was in development in 2011–2012, also with a regeneratively cooled nozzle and combustion chamber, has a vacuum thrust of 690 kN (155,000 lbf), a vacuum specific impulse (Isp) of 310 s, an increased expansion ratio of 16 (as opposed to the previous 14.5 of the Merlin 1C) and chamber pressure of 9.7 MPa (1,410 psi). A new feature for the engine is the ability to throttle from 100% to 70%.[6] The engine's 150:1 thrust-to-weight ratio is the highest ever achieved for a rocket engine.[7][8] The first flight of the Merlin 1D engine was also the maiden Falcon 9 v1.1 flight.[9] On 29 September 2013, the Falcon 9 Flight 6 mission successfully launched the Canadian Space Agency's CASSIOPE satellite into polar orbit, and proved that the Merlin 1D could be restarted to control the first stage's re-entry back into the atmosphere—part of the SpaceX reusable launch system flight test program—a necessary step in making the rocket reusable.[10]

What's 76,000 lbf going to do when you need 8 million?

Are you sure that is what is required to make it to the moon? And, just like the Saturn V program did, you can have several engines in several stages. I think Saturn V had different stages with 4 engines each.

You can get to the moon with a 76,000 lbf rocket. Will take you about 6 months.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Private industry will give us the Solar System not the antiquated NASA.