Funding

I want to address the issue of resources as it relates to the Galileo Proposal. The first objections that many of you will raise are related to the expense of such a venture. Let me put the issue of finances as plainly as possible:

I can't pay for a moon trip. Likely you can't either. But maybe I could afford $100, maybe you could afford $300. If we could market the moon, if we could be "The Man Who Sold the Moon", we would have all the cash we'd need. Even if there were only 50 million people in the entire world willing to financially back a private space venture, and each of them was only willing to donate $100, we'd stil have 5 billion dollars.

I'm no marketing expert, but, like other donation based organizations, we could erect a donor's wall on the Moon, with the names of those willing to support us. $100 for a small name, $1000 for a big plaque, $100,000 for a monument, etc. Something along those lines, anyway. We have the money.

Another objection often raised, is that of "expertese". I firmly believe that the private scientists and engineers of the world can get us to the moon. Think about all the folks who work in private industry. All the engineers who work in electronics, cars, aireospace, computers, manufacturing, design, etc. Think about all the patents held by private citizens. Who invented the car? Who invented Radio? Who invented the areoplane? Who invented the internet? We did.

I will fully admit we have a long way to go, and there's a lot of hard work to be done. But why should that scare us away? Isn't it worth it? Isn't it a noble and worthy thing to live and work for one's dreams?