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That sounds more reasonable...but still...the moon in 9 hours?
Actually, this mission is using the old tried and true Atlas launch vehicle. But, the vehicle will be leaving the earth at a launch speed much higher than the Apollo missions for a couple of reasons.
First, it's a much smaller vehicle than the Apollo vehicle coupled with the lunar lander.
Secondly, prior to landing on the moon, Apollo had to slow down enough to enter lunar orbit. If I recall correctly, Apollo had to expend fuel and burn it's rockets in order to decelerate quickly enough to be captured by the moon's gravitational field and enter a lunar orbit.
This vehicle doesn't have to worry about entering lunar orbit, so it can leave earth at a very high launch speed, with no concern about having to shed much of its launch speed as it approaches the moon.
Incidentally, I slept in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
