And I thought you guys were crazy. This guy bites it bigtime. He is actually serious about going to the asteroid belt for ore unquote.. and he has raised 10,000,000 dollars! Sort of makes you think you might be wasting your talent?
I really think he intends to crash land on Io, set up a colony and fend off all comers.
Has anyone checked Bellevue to see if he was a resident at any time?
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Greetings,
SpaceDev continues to forge ahead. The following was released to all
major news wires today.
Thank you for your interest and support of SpaceDev and NEAP.
Sincerely,
Jim B
SpaceDev Selects Asteroid 'Nereus' for First Mission
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- SpaceDev (OTC Bulletin Board: SPDV -
news), the world's first commercial space exploration and development
company, announced that it has selected the near Earth asteroid "Nereus" for its first mission. The destination was chosen as a result of a study conducted for SpaceDev by Tony Spear, Mars Pathfinder project manager.
"Nereus appears to present several better and important science
opportunities including the potential of finding water and carbon
compounds on the asteroid, and the unique chance to compare on-site
measurements with ground-based measurements from Nereus' close approach to Earth," said Jim Benson, SpaceDev, president and chief executive officer.
"We believe the Nereus mission offers the science community the widest
possible variety of science compared to other potential targets, and it could maximize our chances of attracting paying customers."
Nereus, an Apollo-type near Earth asteroid (NEA), will pass within about 2.5 million miles of Earth in January of 2002, which is close enough for ground-based radar installations and telescopes to gather detailed information prior to NEAP's planned arrival about four months later. The company commissioned Mr. Spear's study because management believed that Nereus could be a more desirable destination than the original launch target. Mr. Spear's study has appeared to confirm the advantages of Nereus.
"Tony Spear, who led the recent NEAP feasibility study from June 15
through July 15, believes that Nereus is the quintessential near-Earth
asteroid mission," said Benson. Mr. Spear was the Mars Pathfinder Project Manager, and recently retired from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) after thirty years of successful deep-space science missions.
"Additionally, Mr. Spear highlighted the following attributes of Nereus that could make it such an appealing project: it is a C-type asteroid about 1 km in diameter with a well-known orbit between Mars and Earth. Nereus is also scientifically interesting because it is carbonaceous, it may have a high water content, and it may consist of many other types of useful elements and volatiles," said Benson.
Benson noted that scientists who lobbied SpaceDev to change targets to
Nereus believe a project to Nereus could help shed light on the early
formation and composition of the solar system. "Furthermore, it could be very interesting as a possible astrobiology research site since it may possess most of the basic ingredients necessary for life, including a reasonable temperature below its surface."
To reach Nereus, NEAP launch is planned for April 3, 2001 and will remain in the Earth-moon system until January 12, 2002, when it should escape Earth's gravity to encounter Nereus on about May 12, 2002. NEAP should complete its primary mission by mid-June, 2002 if all proceeds according to the current plan.
Originally, SpaceDev planned to launch NEAP by the middle to end of 2000, but Benson noted that the new target is much more attractive
scientifically and its schedule is more accommodating to potential
payloads. It could now be possible to add lunar or Earth experiments to the spacecraft therefore increasing potential additional revenue, possibly including the search for water on the moon, prior to leaving the Earth-moon system for Nereus.
"Due to Nereus' orbit and position compared to Earth, it is relatively
easy to reach given the capabilities of our planned propulsion system.
This, in turn, simplified many of the spacecraft support systems while
lowering costs, which were important factors in selecting this asteroid," said Benson.
SpaceDev, the world's first commercial space exploration and development company, intends to launch the first privately financed spacecraft to land on another planetary body. SpaceDev is selling rides for scientific instruments to governments and companies to transport their instruments and experiments through deep space to a near Earth asteroid. SpaceDev intends to sell the data acquired by its instruments as commercial products. Colorado-based SpaceDev has offices in San Diego, CA and Washington, DC.
The foregoing press release includes numerous forward-looking statements concerning the company's business and future prospects and other similar statements that do not concern matters of historical fact. The federal securities laws provide a limited "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release relating to product development, business prospects and development of a commercial market for technological advances are based on the company's current expectations. The company's current expectations are subject to all of the uncertainties and risks customarily associated with new business ventures including, but not limited to, market conditions, successful product development and acceptance, competition and overall economic conditions, as well as the risk of adverse regulatory actions.
The company's actual results may differ materially from current
expectations. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or for any other reason.
Note: News releases and other information on SpaceDev can be accessed at
spacedev.com or ctaonline.com
on the Internet.
Tuesday August 25, 7:00 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: SpaceDev, Inc.
SpaceDev - NEAP (Near Earth Asteroid Prospector)
-o- Commercial Space Exploration & Development of Space Resources -o-
spacedev.com -o- mailto:Info@SpaceDev.Com
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