PROJECT DELTA: SENDING A PROBE TO LAND ON THE MOON
Project Delta follows directly on from Project Gamma and will be funded through its payoffs (along with further contributions from parties who want to be a part of it, as detailed earlier) to send a new and improved probe to the Moon. However, the main difference will be that the probe will be larger because it will be equipped with a landing module to detach from it once it has reached Low Lunar Orbit (LLO) and head down towards the lunar surface.
The real challenges here will be ensuring that the probe reaches LLO (as before) and that the landing module can successfully detach itself from it at the right time and with the right speed to continue to be caught in the Moon’s gravity and, essentially, fall towards its surface to successfully land in one piece. This will be nothing like falling towards the earth’s surface as the gravity of the Moon is six times weaker. In addition, there is no air resistance on the Moon so parachutes or anything of the sort will be useless. The landing module will have to rely on its own power to keep it in the correct upright position and heading in the right direction during its descent. When it is close enough, it will fire up small rockets under it to allow for a soft touchdown on, hopefully, a forgiving spot. This is what was done by the Apollo astronauts in 1969 in their famous lander known as The Eagle (pictured below). Anyone alive at the time will never forget those famous words that preceded an immeasurable victory for the Americans: The Eagle has landed!
Once landed, the probe can dispatch a host of rovers, hoppers, telescopes and other exploratory and research equipment (that can be controlled remotely from earth) to scour the surrounding area and make discovery upon discovery for further revenue (the simple traversing and exploring of lunar land is permitted under the United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967). Who knows what we may find out there considering that it has not been fully explored?
If feasible at the time, the landing module can be made more like the Eagle with a small ascent module on top with enough fuel (or a way of generating it when on the Moon) to launch it into space and back on course for earth so it can bring back rock samples.
Escaping the Moon’s gravity will not be hard and all it would have to do afterwards is push itself at the right speed to travel towards earth and fall into its gravity so it does not enter Low Earth Orbit (LEO) but instead descends towards the surface to enter the atmosphere, release its parachutes and ‘heat shield’ (so it does not burn up when travelling through the atmosphere) and then drop down into a sea where it can be collected.
If such a feat as this was achieved and the resulting revenues enjoyed, we may be able to think about and plan for a much larger project, as discussed on the next page.