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Take a long look at the Moon tonight...

Michael Joyce — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:36:32 -0800

"The Big, Bright Full Moon. If the Moon seems a little bigger and brighter than usual tonight, it’s no illusion. The Full Moon on Friday is the closest of the year, making it just a little larger and brighter than other Full Moons in 2008. " - full article: http://blogs.discovery.com/whats_up_astronomy/2008/12/the-big-bright.htm...

If your life is as busy as mine, it's probably been awhile since you've allowed yourself the luxury of just standing outside at night and gazing up at the moon and stars.

As I read the article above it occurred to me that this is an excellent time to remind everyone of just how special this prize contest is. It gives us a license to express our creative passions, to dream of new places and explore new ideas. That's a rare thing these days, take advantage of it.

So tonight I encourage you to go outside, look to the moon and dream big dreams! And if you're lucky enough to have children of your own, take them out there with you.

Media Alert

Michael Joyce — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:48:47 -0800

The Countdown has begun

Michael Joyce — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:33:14 -0800

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17th, 2008. ALL WILL BE REVEALED.

(OK, maybe not 'ALL'... but a good portion! :-)

It's been fun!

Michael Joyce — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:50:58 -0800

"Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off." - Author Unknown

The countdown has begun and soon the nameless faces of the Mystery Team members will be unveiled. But I must admit, it's been fun attending events such as Airventure and the AGI conference "incognito". I think I speak for all the Mystery Team members when I say, we are ready for what's Next!

MikeJ - Founding member of the Mystery Team

IM Interview with Discovery Space

Michael Joyce — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:06:52 -0700

I enjoyed a brief "Instant Message" (IM) interview with Discovery Channel's Dave Mosher about our team last week.

I hope I didn't give away too many secrets!

http://dsc.discovery.com/space/im/moon-x-prize-mystery-team.html

Exciting things are in the works!

The funding pill.

Michael Joyce — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:28:40 -0700

One of the most difficult issues facing every team is funding. No matter how you slice it, this mission is likely to cost more than the prize purse. That's a hard pill to swallow for your average venture capitalist.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was already a built in consumer base that needed to purchase multiple vehicles in the near future?

Perhaps a nine nation consortium that wished to create a constellation of nodes on the surface of the moon to be used to gather scientific data, etc.?

Something, perhaps, like this...
http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/07/24/lunar-networking-multi-natio...

Hmmm ... potential sales of multiple craft to several different customers. Now this just might add a bit of candy coating to that pill.

Comments?

Still in flux

Michael Joyce — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:37:23 -0700

The mystery team is still growing. On July 23rd the team gathered to meet with our newest member. We are excited by the level of expertise that they bring to the critical guidance, navigation and control design area.

One interesting discussion involved potential landing sites and target dates. One favorite target is the Apollo 12 - Surveyor III site on 11/19/2010 at 10:00pm EST. This is, of course, the 41st anniversary of the Apollo 12 landing. It has the additional advantages of being nearly "noon" on the moon (waxing, 96% full, important for solar power issues) and the moon is overhead on the eastern US coast during the landing window (good for communication issues). Our final target may be a different location and it may be sooner or later, but this discussion was useful in determining many of the critical factors that effect choosing a target location and date.

Many other topics were addressed to include vehicle configuration trades, GLXP rules and their implications, funding issues, and when to unveil the team. As to the latter, we expect to fill some final critical positions and achieve our next funding goal before we "go public". This could happen as early as this fall or perhaps as late as the Google rules deadline. We are anxious to move forward and to begin sharing our progress in detail.

Taking some of the "mystery" out of the Mystery Team...

Michael Joyce — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:39:14 -0700

Just a few hints...

Our Team currently includes exerienced aerospace engineers, a mathematician, a physicist and a former USAF pilot.

We come from varied backgrounds but we all share the common dream of space exploration!

Feel free to ask us questions, we'll answer what we can, as often as we can. But our primary focus is the goal, not the hype!

Best!

Lunar Mystery