The Golden Spike announcement came just a day after a National Research Council report concluded that NASA lacked direction and in fact had a mission statement so "generic" it could apply to any government research agency. The timing of the lunar reveal was notable in at least one other respect, arriving as it did one day before the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 17, the last mission to deliver astronauts to the moon.

In a statement responding to Golden Spike's announcement, a NASA spokesperson said: "This type of private sector effort is further evidence of the timeliness and wisdom of the Obama administration's overall space policy—to create an environment where commercial space companies can build upon NASA's past successes, allowing the agency to focus on the new challenges of sending humans to an asteroid and eventually Mars."

As NASA targets other destinations, the potential benefits for lunar science—if Golden Spike can realize its lofty ambitions—are huge. Stern argued that the robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity spent four years on Mars before delivering as much science as Apollo 17 accomplished in a few days with two humans (including a trained geologist) on the moon.

In addition to Stern and Griffin, Golden Spike counts among its advisers politician Newt Gingrich, former House Science Committee Chair Bob Walker, former Space Shuttle Program Chief Wayne Hale, a Star Trek set designer, and Nancy Conrad, founder of the Conrad Foundation and widow of Apollo 12 astronaut Pete Conrad.

Conrad, speaking from the audience at the press conference, said that her late husband had become very interested in commercial spaceflight near the end of his life. "If I could imagine what he'd be doing right now if he were here," she said, "he'd probably be clicking his heels."

6 Comments

1. 1. BrucePerens 01:13 PM 12/7/12

   The business plan for this endeavor is that they're going to take people to the moon, by buying a spaceship. That's all. They have some PowerPoints and a web site at GoDaddy of the type that's usually sold to mom-and-pop stores. And they've got a ton of entirely undeserved publicity, including from SciAm which should know better. Wake up, editor!

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2. 2. TheodoreJudah in reply to Scienceproofreader 01:16 PM 12/7/12

   Name the six from 2012.

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3. 3. TheodoreJudah in reply to BrucePerens 01:22 PM 12/7/12

   I wonder why you think their publicity is undeserved? To be sure, they have an audacious plan. That alone deserves some attention, don't you think? Or do you think this is just an elaborate scheme to make some money from the science and skepticism-loving public?

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4. 4. BrucePerens 01:29 PM 12/7/12

   Hi Theodore,
   
   There are a number of companies who are actually building spaceships, who, if able to surmount the technical issues, will take people to the moon. The important thing about these companies is that they have technology. What we are hearing from "Golden Spike" is that they will re-sell the technology of other companies. They don't have any technology and are shopping for vehicles the way you or I might visit an auto dealership.
   
   SpaceX is already working on the Grasshopper to refine vertical landing technology like that of the Lunar Module to return their booster to Earth. Videos of the first two demonstrations are all over the web. This is of course a lot easier - from a fuel perspective - in Lunar gravity. Various pther companies are working on earth-to-orbit - SpaceX seems to have the most mature solution for that at the moment. They would probably be able to take people to the moon without waiting for these two guys to buy their spaceship and do it.

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5. 5. Big Mama Roneck 02:19 PM 12/7/12

   This does read like a PR 'blinder'...a covertly issued PR release on behalf of a heavily caffeinated, fructose loaded beverage. Barnum and Bailey goes to the Moon is more like it. These 'space tourist' and 'free fall from space' adventures and contests are pure bunkum. It was a foregone conclusion that Burt Rutan would take out the Ansari X-Prize because he was so far ahead of the rest of the contenders and, unlike most of the others, had serious financial backing. No one else stood a chance. It was a 'no-contest' and the ten million dollar prize did not even come close to covering his development costs. Rutan was well along the path to success before Dr. Diamandis jumped on his coat-tails.
   Lunar exploration is important for many reasons - but it must be undertaken by scientists with international Government funding...not get-rich-quick entrepreneurs offering staggering, dinner party bragging rights for very rich and very dumb people.
   Also, I'm so disappointed to see SciAm run this drivel. What's with you guys? More junk stories like this and I might as well switch my subscription to Popular Mechanics or worse, Discover Magazine, or even worse, that Lou Dobbs thing.
   
   BMR
   

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6. 6. Dr. Strangelove 08:16 PM 12/12/12

   NASA can just charge a fee to space tourists for a few days stay at the ISS. A round-trip to the moon without landing is less expensive and more technically feasible for space tourists.

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