At the risk of getting only slightly OT I'd like to introduce the Lunaris
project.

As explained below, this is an amateur project with the primary aim of
landing a rocket on the moon within 5 years.
To achieve this we'll need input from a wide range of people with disparate
skills. This includes people with electronic skills of all sorts plus
others experienced in mechanical, organisational, fund raising, legal,
arcane rocketry, chemical, orbital mechanics, thermodynamic  and numerous
other here-unspecified scientific and engineering disciplines.

NASA it's not (thank goodness :-)) and success is only a possibility but
with input from enough people one of YOUR PICs / AVRs ... could be on its
way to the Moon about 4 or 5 years from now. If you want to know more, read
the text below and look at the website. Still interested? - join the
mailing list. Volume is variable, from a few a day to maybe 20+ - nowhere
near as heavy as PICLIST.

How good are we? - as good as the people who join. Some of what you will
see is done with smoke and mirrors (and some of this shows) but there's
some reasonably capable people involved already and as we gather momentum
our skill base will grow.

At the moment the craft looks like a 4 stage design with liquid fuel motors
based on a time proven pressure fed design burning White Fuming Nitric Acid
and Furfuryl Alcohol - not leading edge by any means, and there are good
reasons for this. Lunaris home base is on the edge of the White Sands
Missile Range

If you are going to comment about this project on-list put an [OT] in the
heading - I thought initially I'd give a chance for all PICsters / AVR'ers
to have a look but after that we may digress too far for on topic
discussion.


regards

                Russell McMahon


___________________________________________________________________________
______


Thank you for inquiring about the Lunaris Memorial Moon Rocket Project!

Weâre writing this note to share with you a brief description of who we
are, what weâre doing, and why.  Maybe you will also find this challenging
mission of personal interest as well.  Hopefully this information will help
you get oriented, learn what we're doing, and see where you might fit in.

First, weâre a not-for-profit, non-government, non-commercial scientific
and educational association.  Donors, sponsors, and associates who
volunteer their time, tools, and some materials fund the entire project.

Lunaris, a Latin word, means "lunar," or about the moon.  The Project is
sponsored and managed by the Rocket Science Institute, Inc., a non-profit
educational and scientific corporation.  The Lunaris mission--simply
put--is to develop and launch the world's first non-commercial,
non-government rocket to the Moon, within five years.

Our Project teams are spread worldwide, collaborating mainly with dialogue
over the Internet.  In a way, you might say we're a virtual team of rocket
scientists, engineers, and technicians building a "home-made" rocket that
will fly to the Moon.  The rocket will be entirely built by volunteers, and
paid for by the goodwill donations of ordinary people around the world who
support our educational, scientific goals.

We have several smaller teams who are dedicated to research and development
of lunar landing trajectories; aerodynamics and control systems; solid and
liquid propellant chemistry and propulsion systems; payloads and telemetry;
component fabrication, inspection, and quality control; test and launch
operations; range safety; communications systems; project documentation,
and the like.

We also have a team of specialist professionals of the aerospace sciences
who volunteer as mentors in a special program within the mission to assist
and mentor students of all ages who have a strong motivation to participate
with us, as associates, apprentices, or interns.  So regardless of age or
education, there is an important role each of us can play in helping reach
the Moon.

So, we are an international team of professional and amateur scientists who
have decided to work together collaboratively, as volunteers, to build a
small rocket to the moon.  Our team includes folks of all ages, from school
students to retired engineers, from all walks of life.  We are really just
typical, average people, with a higher than average ambition. We like to
think this is an idea "whose time has come," and hope that you will join
with us in this exciting mission.

If you are interested in any particular phase of our mission, or perhaps in
participating some way yourself, please drop us another note.  There are a
lot of challenging, interesting, and probably history-making tasks to share
with us.  And, please, share a few words with us about your personal
interests, so we can better serve you.

The first step to joining with us (or having a closer look at what we're
doing) is to subscribe to our online Project Forum.  To do this, send an
e-mail message to:  majordomo@nmt.edu

Within the body of the message write the words: subscribe moonproject

You'll receive an acknowledgment within the hour, and can begin reading and
responding to our ongoing series of message threads.

We also have a web site that provides a good overview of the entire Lunaris
Mission.  When time permits, please go to this URL and take the tour:
www.lunaris.org

Our Project Team is comprised of nine divisions:

Administrative Center:  communications, personnel, safety, legal

Education:  scholarship, apprenticeship, mentorship, and classroom programs

Logistics:  tooling, materials, supplies, chemicals, shipping, storage

Fabrication

Airframe Systems:  aerodynamics, fairings, tanks, plumbing, staging

Propulsion Systems:  propellants, engines, valves, pumps

Control Systems:  trajectory, guidance avionics, servos, steering

Payload & Telemetry Systems:  radios, TV, recovery, range safety

Test Operations:  static and flight operations

Within each of these team divisions, people are spending a few hours of
their own time each week handing a variety of project tasks.  Some jobs are
high rocket science, while others are equally vital and important, but less
arcane.  Computer specialists are collaborating on designing the
spacecraft's control and telemetry systems.  Communications techs are
improving our web site, planning the flight signals requirements, and
designing radio and video circuits.  We have people working on each of the
major categories listed above, and you will probably find one or more teams
to check out--and perhaps join.

A considerable part of our current workload is doing research on the
Internet.  Even if you're not a highly-technical, engineering and science
type of person, you can contribute a lot to the Project's success by
helping with these searches.

There are also opportunities for graphic artists, webpage designers,
database specialists, amateur radio operators, educators--even accountants
and bookkeepers.

The best way to get started working with a Lunaris Team is to send us a
brief letter describing your special interests and skills, and we'll put
you in touch with the Team Leaders that you may want to associate with.

And, if youâre seriously interested in experimental rocketry, please join
the Rocket Science Institute.  Membership has many benefits.  For more
information, go to:

http://lunaris.org/rsi.html

I hope this brief note tells you more about our mission and project, and
that you feel welcome and invited to participate with us.  If you would
like to join our e-mail mailing list, there is no cost or obligation.  You
can Îunsubscribeâ at any time, of course.

Again, thanks for inquiring about our Lunaris Project.  We hope this letter
answers some of your questions, and that you'll not hesitate to write again
for more specific information.

Looking forward to hearing again from you soon,

THE LUNARIS PROJECT

Edward Jones, PhD
Executive Director

moon.project@usa.net
rocket.science@usa.net
ed@lunaris.org