Google Monday - Google Going to the Moon
You’ve all heard by now that Google will pay $20 million to the first private group to land a roving robot on the lunar surface. For a team to win the $20 million grand prize, its vehicle must ramble at least a quarter-mile over the lunar surface and send video back to Earth. A $10 million second prize is reserved for the first spacecraft that can’t rove but still transmits data from moon to Earth. Yet another $10 million will go to super-rovers able to perform tasks such as roaming long distances or snapping pictures of equipment discarded by astronauts.
I don’t know about you but I find it difficult to believe that the $20 million dollar grand prize is enough to elicit the needed interest to achieve the goal. I seriously doubt that you could cover any costs associated with launching the craft into orbit for less than $20 million. I’m not sure what Google is trying to accomplish here, but motivating people to accept this challenge isn’t likely with this paltry $20 million dollar prize. Unless Google’s goal is to get some rich billionaire tycoon interested in winning this competition for the sake of bragging rights, they have missed the boat and will get NO entries.
If any of you have a rover that you would like to include in this competition, I’ve got a big ball of rubber bands that I will donate. Maybe we can make a slingshot big enough to launch it to the moon. Â :razz:
Posted on September 17, 2007
By Jason Spence
Filed Under Google |
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wow.. wish i knew how to build one.
You mean, you wish you knew how to build one cheap. To make the $20 million seem worth it.
Hey, all we need to do it get to Mars, steal that rover and on our way back, place it on the moon! It would really through those people from NASA for a loop when they find out that it moved from a Planet to a moon!
Why the moon? We have already been there and even brought back samples. $20 million, $10 million! It’s like saying they will offer someone $.01 if they go buy a double cheeseburger from McDonalds for them!