Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Texas & Florida Vie For Private Lunar Company Golden Spike's HQ

Posted by timothy on from the let's-settle-this-out-back dept.

MarkWhittington writes "The Denver Post reported on July 12, 2013 that Texas and Florida, already embroiled in a fight over which state will be the venue for SpaceX's commercial space port, are now vying to be the site of the headquarters of a company that, while smaller, has much loftier ambitions. Golden Spike, the Boulder, Colorado based company that proposes to start commercial space flights to the moon with paying customers, is being courted by Texas and Florida to leave Colorado and to relocate its headquarters in either state."

6 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. Wait a bit longer by Cryacin · · Score: 2

    I'm sure Cape Kennedy will be up for auction shortly.

    (Truly, truly wish I could laugh at the absurdity.)

    --
    Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
  2. Re:"embroiled in a fight" by shikaisi · · Score: 2

    Does that sentence really characterise what is going on?

    I wouldn't be surprised if the Texas National Guard was massing troops on the Florida border even as we speak.

    --
    No left turn unstoned.
  3. Has the world gone mad? by Bearhouse · · Score: 2

    What sane legislator would seriously want to associate themselves with the hucksters at Golden Spike?
    They've as much chance of getting you to the moon and back as the YMCA.
    Look at the linked site, it's mostly full of invitations to contribute cash and otherwise "contribute"...

    On the overall cost and technology, it's suspiciously thin, apart from saying it can pretty much be done with available, commercial technology. Kind of. Yeah right.

    I'd love to go to the moon, but I don't have a spare 20 billion lying around, (the rough cost of each previous moon landing).
    My guess is few people do.

    1. Re:Has the world gone mad? by slew · · Score: 2

      This is clearly a company set up for the sole purpose of getting a NASA sub-contract for moon exploration. These types of companies are setup all the time to help fleece the American taxpayers. They stuff their board of directors and advisor lists with well known folks with political connections and shake the trees in Washington D.C. until the money "leaves" come raining down. To help them hire lobbyists and last long enough to actually get sub-contracts, they are currently attempting some crowdsource funding techniques (probably having tapped the VC community dry).

      The only other plausible explanation is that if you are one of those that believe that a significant number of people believe the moon landing was faked, it might not be so hard to believe that there's money to be made in faking a moon landing from the viewpoint of a "customer". Sort of a Capricorn one, and Disneyland Rocket to the Moon hybrid (rocket really goes to the moon, the people stay on earth, but think they are going to the moon). That's about all they could accomplish based on their current funding.

  4. Re:Hmm.. Tough choice... by rossdee · · Score: 2

    On a strictly physics basis Hawaii would be the best State. Closer to the equator to get maximum boost from the spin of the earth, and you can get some altitude if you use one of the mountains. Less hurricanes too.

  5. Re:Hmm.. Tough choice... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 2

    A landlocked state further from the equator? A smaller industrial base? Smaller population?

    You forgot good diplomatic relations with the Tok'ra.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20