A new company run by former NASA executives announced Thursday
that it will send you to the moon by 2020. Round-trip cost for
two: $1.5 billion, which the CEO called a relative bargain. The
name of the Colorado-chartered venture refers to the ceremonial
final, gold spike that completed the transcontinental railroad
in 1869. See who's on the team of veteran space program
executives, managers, engineers and entrepreneurs. Space.com put
together an infographic showing how the moon shot would work
(fingers crossed). Here's its summary: Golden Spike plans to
launch the landing vehicle first, placing the unmanned module
into a lunar orbit, where it will await its crew. Later, a crew
vehicle carrying up to two paying passengers is launched from
Earth. After arriving in lunar orbit, the crew vehicle links up
with the lander and the crew transfers for the descent to the
surface. When the lunar surface exploration is done, the
astronauts blast off to rendezvous with the orbiting crew
vehicle. Once back inside, the crew