MiddleFinger
09-14-2007, 07:04 PM
Ever had the desire build your own lunar rover? And actually send it to the moon? (I know this is something we all daydream about while we're at work) All you needed was that little extra kick of motivation to get started. Well, wait no more! And you'd better get started, because you can bet there'll be some stiff competition.
$30,000,000 X-Prize (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070914-lunar-xprize.html)
There's a new race to the moon—and 30 million dollars are at stake. The heads of Google and the X Prize yesterday announced that they will give 20 million U.S. dollars to the makers of the first privately operated robotic rover to land on the moon and beam video and data back to Earth.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin and X Prize founder Peter Diamandis said their aim with the new contest is to spark a second space race to animate the scientific imagination and innovation of Internet-generation youths across the globe.
"The Google Lunar X Prize seeks to create a global private race to the moon that excites and involves people around the world and accelerates space exploration for the benefit of all humanity," Diamandis said in a statement.
"When the original Ansari X Prize was launched it was considered unimaginable that private individuals could commercially venture into space, and yet that was accomplished," added Google's Brin on the lunar prize Web site.
"So now, we are here today, embarking upon this great adventure of having a nongovernmental, commercial organization return to the moon and explore."
$30,000,000 X-Prize (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070914-lunar-xprize.html)
There's a new race to the moon—and 30 million dollars are at stake. The heads of Google and the X Prize yesterday announced that they will give 20 million U.S. dollars to the makers of the first privately operated robotic rover to land on the moon and beam video and data back to Earth.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin and X Prize founder Peter Diamandis said their aim with the new contest is to spark a second space race to animate the scientific imagination and innovation of Internet-generation youths across the globe.
"The Google Lunar X Prize seeks to create a global private race to the moon that excites and involves people around the world and accelerates space exploration for the benefit of all humanity," Diamandis said in a statement.
"When the original Ansari X Prize was launched it was considered unimaginable that private individuals could commercially venture into space, and yet that was accomplished," added Google's Brin on the lunar prize Web site.
"So now, we are here today, embarking upon this great adventure of having a nongovernmental, commercial organization return to the moon and explore."