Posted on 06/13/2015 7:58:41 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEM) and Astrobotic Technology Inc. are pleased to announce a joint effort to facilitate the development and delivery of the first payload from Latin America to the Moon. Astrobotic and AEM have entered into an agreement outlining a commitment by both organizations to enable a Mexican payload to the Moon. Through this partnership, AEM will take its first step to another planetary body.
"Opening access to the Moon is precisely at the core of Astrobotic's mission," said John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic. "AEM's rising space science and exploration community is yet one more example of the immense international interest in the Moon as a destination for science, exploration, and other activities. We are proud to be partnered with our friends in Mexico.
In May, AEM issued its second request for proposals (RFP) through the AEM-CONACYT Fund of Trusts for Space Science and Technology, in which project proposals are expected from the Mexican space science and exploration community to determine the agency's lunar payload. The RFP is expected to be awarded by Fall 2015. The winning proposal will be built and delivered to the Moon.
About Astrobotic: Astrobotic is a lunar logistics company that delivers payloads to the Moon for companies, governments, universities, non-profits and individuals. Our spacecraft accommodates multiple customers on a single flight, offering flexibility at an industry-defining low price. Astrobotic is a NASA contractor, and an official partner with NASA on the Lunar CATALYST program. With its partner Carnegie Mellon University, Astrobotic is pursuing the Google Lunar XPRIZE. Astrobotic was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.
(Excerpt) Read more at parabolicarc.com ...
It’s funny how the brain works sometimes.
I was reading your comment and was thinking about how we went to the moon on slide rule math 50ish years ago. Then I thought about some footage of a space shuttle launch anf just how the absolute magisty of that was such a Team America “F-YEA!” moment.
And then I realized that Mexico has a plan to go to the moon here in 2015 even if it is on someone elses rocket. And NASA is invested in making Muslims feel good and having Russia tell us to jump on trampolines.
Re-fried beans to create a methane atmosphere!
Perhaps it’s no accident that both SpaceX and Blue Origin are develop methane-burning engines.
Will the official cerveza served there be Corona?
“Here’s the rocket being tested at MASA launch site outside El Snorto.”
Where’s the giant pump that pressurizes it with water and air?
Good luck to them. That certainly looks like a real ship to the moon.
If they have to turn back I hope their high temperature stucco tiles hold up during re-entry.
ROFL OMG I need a good laugh before going to bed ROFL
That rocket looks like a giant Octopus
ROFL I’m shocked they even have any program especially for space. Perhaps they can ship their illegals to the moon or somewhere beside the US.
Hey! Don’t mock MASA. At least they put a whale on the moon! :0)
You first would have to build a Home Depot or a convenience store there. :0)
Half their country doesn’t have toilets. They’re about to have coup staged by drug cartels.
...
Mexico is a very stratified and prejudiced society. They send their dark skinned garbage north to America, while the light skinned elites have the best of the best. I’ve read that they have an excellent healthcare system.
From Wiki:
Affordability
The IMSS La Raza Medical Center, a typical public hospital in Mexico
According to the site www.internationalliving.com, health care in Mexico is described as very good to excellent while being highly affordable, with every medium to large city in Mexico having at least one first-rate hospital. In fact, some California insurers sell health insurance policies that require members to go to Mexico for health care where costs are 40% lower.[15] Some of Mexico’s top-rate hospitals are internationally accredited.[16] Residents of USA, particularly those living near the Mexican border, now routinely cross the border into Mexico for medical care.[17] Popular specialties include dentistry and plastic surgery. Mexican dentists often charge 20 to 25 percent of US prices,[18] while other procedures typically cost a third what they would cost in the US.[17] The www.internationalliving.com site states that on average, an office visit with a doctor—specialists included—will cost about US$25, an overnight stay in a private hospital room costs about $35, and a visit to a dentist for teeth cleaning costs about $20. Some 40,000 to 80,000 American seniors spend their retirement years in Mexico with a considerable number receiving nursing home and health care.[19]
Quality
With many physicians from the U.S. having received their training in Mexico, and with many Mexican doctors having received at least part of their training in the United States, the quality of Mexican health care has been reported to be comparable to that in the United States: “in general, health care in Mexico is very good…and in many places it is excellent.”[20] Lower medical costs than the U.S. have been found to bear no relationship to the quality of medical attention and knowledge about health care provided in Mexico.[6] Mexican hospitals are equipped to first world standards, use modern equipment and hygiene and many Mexican doctors received their training in the US.[21][22] When it comes to diagnosis and treatment, Americans receiving treatment in Mexico say it is just as good as in the United States – and sometimes better.[23]
;’)
The launch vehicle they plan to use is the Falcon 9; here’s the page about Astrobotics’ Griffin lander:
https://www.astrobotic.com/griffin
rofl
One just has to wonder how many sets of jumper cables and how much re-manufactured motor oil this project is going to take.
>
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
