It's a reasonable rate, but it would normally require a better resume presentation than what's there at the moment. Great to know that Kyle did all this stuff, but what's more relevant is what he did exactly. Did he draw the ranger guy for Forrst or did he plan the server hardware allocation or did he just hack on some code... that sort of thing.
I've seen my share of product consultants, and they primarily specialize in invoicing. There are some exceptions, of course, but generally the amount of BS/hour is very depressing. The site needs to do a better job to explain that Kyle is not of their kind.
I think the plasma forms a complete enclosure, i.e. there is no "break" in its surface at the tail of the spacecraft. The pole will need to cross the surface of the plasma shield meaning an exposure to very high temperatures. OTOH the pole can be insulated the same way the front of the craft is. It looks doable in principle, so I wonder what other problems are there.
Could it be that extending the pole during the descent makes the design of the hull more complex and through that more fragile?
Actually it may work. The only ones deterred by this notice would be those who donate to feel entitled, but not those who do it to show genuine appreciation for his work. And I doubt former kind even makes it to the donation form in the first place.
adj. voldemorted - distributed