The private company Golden Spike recently announced plans to fly people to the moon for the low price of $750 million. As explained on the Golden Spike website, “The Golden Spike Company has been formed to monetize the exploration of the Moon through sales of expeditions and their surrounding media and merchandizing revenues.” So, if you cannot afford the $750 million, perhaps you can help by buying a t-shirt.
Seriously, though, Slate magazine writes that there is a good chance that the private plan will come to fruition through Golden Spike or another company at some point, noting that Golden Spike’s President and CEO is scientist Alan Stern who is a former associate administrator for science at NASA. To advertise the planned commercial trip to the moon, Golden Spike put together a promotion video, which incorporates references to the Transcontinental Railroad, whose last spike joining the railroad track in 1869 gives the new company its name.
Some of the funny comments on YouTube note that one should be wary of trusting your moon trip to a company that cannot put together a better promotion video. Fortunately, though, I suspect that the people working on the moon lander are not the ones working in the public relations department. Still, it is a cool idea to think of humans returning to the moon again. Good luck Golden Spike. As Billie Holiday sang, “I’ll be looking at the moon. But I’ll be seeing you.”
2024 Update: It is unclear whatever happened to the Golden Spike company, although it seems to no longer be in existence. Wikipedia reports that the company’s website went offline in 2015.
Do you think private enterprise is capable of getting people to the moon? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)