One trip to the moon please!

[Secuas]

As I building my base on the Mun I was thinking... What would an actual trip to the real moon cost? Or does such a service even exist?

So purely out of curiosity, one trip to the moon please!

Edited December 16, 2014 by Kaname

[KerbMav]

Some figures to get you started.

"A single Saturn V launch cost up to $375 million in 1969  or, in today’s money, a few billion dollars.

In 2009, NASA looked back at the cost of the Apollo program in its entirety, and arrived at a figure of $170 billion in 2005 dollars (or around $200 billion in today’s money). Compare these costs to modern day space travel, where companies like SpaceX charge just $133 million to launch a spacecraft to the International Space Station. The Falcon Heavy, which will be comparable to the Saturn IV, will be in the same price region."

[Secuas]

So in theory if I'd pick up a Falcon Heavy from the store and slap a lunar module on it. I could go to the moon? (considering money not a problem)

Edited December 16, 2014 by Kaname

[KerbMav]

I am only providing a minimum and expected maximum for the price tag. I have no insight into the real capabilities of the Falcon Heavy or the requirements to lift and transfer a lunar module.

Geeks?! Nerds!? Where are ya, fellas?!

[Secuas]

And how about a regular SLS wich is basically a Saturn V with SRB's ductaped to the side. If it was capable of launching a lunar module to the moon.

[Bill Phil]

Well, the SLS is a very different launch vehicle. It has a liquid hydrogen fueled core stage.

Just a trip to the moon? No landing necessary? A soyuz slapped onto a few different transfer stages would do the trick, using Fregat for trans-earth injection. I'd say at least a billion dollars, probably much more.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Bill Phil

[Secuas]

I meant like the fulll trip, landing on the moon, tour guide. and return.

[Bill Phil]

Well.... If you want THAT....

It'll have to be a setup like in 2001. An orbiting station acting as a way station for lunar ferries. The only difference is there may be a fueling station in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point close to the moon, forgot its name...

[KerikBalm]

does such a service even exist?

Obviously the answer to that is: No.

The question of cost is much harder to answer. But I suppose you could start by taking the apollo command module+ LEM + service module+ weight of the third stage when the TLO burn is done... and then take the lowest commercial rate for getting a kilogram to orbit, and use that as your first estimate.

I seem to recal that the marginal cost(not the entire program cost, just the cost of building 1 additional saturn V when they already had the production facilities set up, and the R&D done) for each saturn V launch was around a billion dollars, inflation adjusted.

And that got 2 people to the moon's surface.

So 500 million per person.

If you want to pay for a tour guide as well... 1 billion per person, but the cost would go down towars 500 million as the passenger: guide ratio gets higher.

[mrrpamplemousse]

The only difference is there may be a fueling station in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point close to the moon, forgot its name...

I believe you are talking about L5/L4.

[...] Colonies at the L4 and L5 positions would have the advantage of being stable without any need for stationkeeping, and could be used as a waypoint for travel to and from cislunar space.

[Bill Phil]

I believe you are talking about L5/L4.

Yes, I believe so. If I remember right it takes very little energy compared to L1 and 2.

[Godot]

I guess the problem will also be, that it isn´t sufficient to just put together a command capsule + lunar lander, but would have to first do several unmanned test runs, then manned test runs in earth orbit and so on, in order to not experience any bad surprises that your theoretical calculations didn´t foresee.

There is a reason why the first manned lunar landing was numbered Apollo 11 and not Apollo 1.

And despite this meticulous preparation, the first Lunar landing not only nearly ended in desaster due to the selected landing site being inappropriate (forcing Armstrong to do a manual landing), but also experienced technical dfficulties that hadn´t been detedcted during prior test runs with the landing module.

Therefore, if you want to have a certain chance of your customers coming back home safely, you would first have to spend the costs for several CM+LM missions, before being able to offer the first commercial lunar landing