Is there any chance of humble self being allowed a small part in this communal effort?
Starting Monday, I shall be analyzing risks and hazards for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). That might be a useful skill.
I know a little something about physics, astronomy, rocket science, spacecraft control systems, telemetry -- you know, from reading all that SF when I was a kid.
Might want to up our target mass for the rover. Say, 5 kg (11 pounds). The lander/platform would be a little more, say, 50 kg (110) pounds, and that includes whatever landing system (rockets?) we decide on. The lander/platform would include its own camera (0.1 kg) and so that would meet the self-portrait requirement.
Where does one START with a project like this? Where NASA and engineering companies start is with a set of "requirements". The goals of the Xprize folks are "requirements", but certainly not all we need. And we also need a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). This is simpler than it sounds. It is simply a breakdown of the whole shebang into its major component systems. (electrical, thermal, communication, structural, guidance, etc.) Then we breakdown each system into its subsystems and components. This makes it a lot easier for individuals to research and contribute.
I suggest that maybe, perhaps, we look around for a launch system that already works -- something off the shelf, so to speak.
My role? I'll leave all the fun stuff to you guys. But I would be more than happy to organize and oversee the requirements analysis, the WBS analysis, and the risk mitigation analysis. I'll coach -- you DO.
