COULD this be NASA鈥檚 cry for help? The agency, which is a long way from returning to the moon, is challenging inventors to build a lunar lander. The total prize money at stake: $2.5 million.
The 鈥淟unar Lander Challenge鈥� announced on 5 May is the latest in NASA鈥檚 Centennial Challenges programme. Competitors have to build rockets that can take off from the moon, reach lunar orbit, and return to the moon鈥檚 surface.
NASA is planning a multi-stage mission to the moon for 2018. A 鈥渃rew exploration vehicle鈥� will dock with a lunar module and an 鈥淓arth departure stage鈥� in Earth orbit. The entire system will blast off for the moon and enter lunar orbit, and then the lunar lander will take a crew of four to the moon鈥檚 surface. Plans for the lander are still sketchy, says NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries.
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Entrants to the competition will be judged in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in October. Rockets will have to reach an altitude of 50 metres, hover for 3 minutes, then fly and land at a rocky spot 100 metres away. If there is no winner, the prize money will be offered again in 2007.
