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Google backs private Moon landing, Google is offering a $30m prize pot to private firms that land a
SkyeLab
post Sep 14 2007, 08:02 AM
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FROM: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6993373.stm


Firms interested in trying for the prize have until the end of 2012 to mount their Moonshot

Anyone fancy a crack at this?

Cheers

Brian


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"There are 10 types of people in the world - those who understand binary code, and those who don't."
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AscendingNode
post Sep 14 2007, 04:22 PM
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So google will give $20 million to the first private company to land on the moon, rove 500 m and return 'mooncast' video. see here: http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/com...tion/guidelines

So am I the only one to which this prize money seems like way to little to cover the cost of such a thing. At that pice you probably couldn't afford a launch vehicle and would have to launch piggy-back with another satellite... so you would have to get out of whatever orbit the piggy-back launch put you in and get to the moon... which probably would require electric propulsion. And you would still need chemical propulsion to be able to land. So that's two prop systems _and_ some way to locomote after you land _and_ you have to send back high def video (lots of power and lots of ground station fees).

It seems like for this to work you'd have to already have your own launch vehicle and tracking network all built and paid for... but the prize is only for a 100% private venture, so you coucldn't even use a donated vehicle or tracking.

Did they even think this through before they announced it? what am I missing?
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Posts in this topic
- SkyeLab   Google backs private Moon landing   Sep 14 2007, 08:02 AM
- - djellison   I can understand how and my why the first X-Prize ...   Sep 14 2007, 09:57 AM
|- - Paolo Amoroso   QUOTE (djellison @ Sep 14 2007, 11:57 AM)...   Sep 14 2007, 10:51 AM
||- - mcaplinger   QUOTE (Paolo Amoroso @ Sep 14 2007, 03:51...   Sep 14 2007, 01:39 PM
|- - JRehling   QUOTE (djellison @ Sep 14 2007, 02:57 AM)...   Sep 14 2007, 06:42 PM
- - SkyeLab   I thought this was an interesting add on (from the...   Sep 14 2007, 12:38 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (SkyeLab @ Sep 14 2007, 01:38 PM) D...   Sep 14 2007, 01:00 PM
||- - SpaceListener   QUOTE (djellison @ Sep 14 2007, 08:00 AM)...   Sep 14 2007, 02:09 PM
|- - Toma B   QUOTE (SkyeLab @ Sep 14 2007, 02:38 PM) ....   Sep 14 2007, 01:03 PM
- - SkyeLab   How about the Planetary Society? Emily?   Sep 14 2007, 01:15 PM
- - djellison   http://www.spacetethers.com/massfraction.html VER...   Sep 14 2007, 01:19 PM
- - AndyG   On paper it's a bit better than a cubesat. If...   Sep 14 2007, 01:25 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (AndyG @ Sep 14 2007, 02:25 PM) dry...   Sep 14 2007, 02:01 PM
- - djellison   I didn't know Kaguya had it onboard - hopefull...   Sep 14 2007, 02:15 PM
|- - mcaplinger   QUOTE (djellison @ Sep 14 2007, 07:15 AM)...   Sep 14 2007, 03:21 PM
- - nprev   This Google prize is getting a LOT of media attent...   Sep 14 2007, 02:57 PM
|- - Paolo Amoroso   QUOTE (nprev @ Sep 14 2007, 04:57 PM) Not...   Sep 14 2007, 03:46 PM
|- - AndyG   QUOTE (nprev @ Sep 14 2007, 03:57 PM) EDI...   Sep 14 2007, 03:49 PM
|- - dvandorn   QUOTE (AndyG @ Sep 14 2007, 10:49 AM) Wou...   Sep 14 2007, 05:08 PM
|- - climber   QUOTE (dvandorn @ Sep 14 2007, 07:08 PM) ...   Sep 17 2007, 05:18 PM
- - marsbug   What about the five million dollar secound prize? ...   Sep 14 2007, 03:43 PM
- - AscendingNode   So google will give $20 million to the first ...   Sep 14 2007, 04:22 PM
- - djellison   Thinking out loud - if you can get to GEO as a pig...   Sep 14 2007, 05:14 PM
- - nprev   Yeah; I was wondering about opportune piggybacks a...   Sep 14 2007, 05:23 PM
|- - Jim from NSF.com   QUOTE (nprev @ Sep 14 2007, 01:23 PM) Yea...   Sep 28 2007, 12:35 PM
|- - nprev   QUOTE (Jim from NSF.com @ Sep 28 2007, 04...   Dec 4 2007, 03:59 AM
- - Phil Stooke   Well, the artifacts need not be Apollo - they coul...   Sep 14 2007, 05:24 PM
- - nprev   The Google link that AscendingNode posted had a pr...   Sep 14 2007, 05:32 PM
- - nprev   Beginning to wonder if they're just trying to ...   Sep 15 2007, 01:49 AM
- - dvandorn   I think it's worth pointing out, here, that Go...   Sep 15 2007, 05:22 AM
- - tuvas   Something else that no one has said about Google b...   Sep 15 2007, 01:48 PM
- - tuvas   Oh, just to talk a little about the Apollo landing...   Sep 15 2007, 01:49 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (tuvas @ Sep 15 2007, 02:49 PM) Apo...   Sep 15 2007, 02:03 PM
|- - tuvas   QUOTE (djellison @ Sep 15 2007, 07:03 AM)...   Sep 20 2007, 03:30 AM
- - ugordan   My thoughts exactly there, Doug. It's pointles...   Sep 15 2007, 02:26 PM
- - nprev   Believe it or not, I used to work with a contracto...   Sep 16 2007, 01:12 AM
- - Stu   This week's "Carnival of Space" has ...   Sep 20 2007, 04:13 PM
- - Del Palmer   Looks like the cringemaster wants a piece of the a...   Sep 28 2007, 11:26 AM
- - djellison   Nahh - we're doing balloons Doug   Sep 28 2007, 11:40 AM
- - cndwrld   I was at the International Aeronautical Congress c...   Oct 1 2007, 11:44 AM
- - Moon Saloon   QUOTE (cndwrld @ Oct 1 2007, 03:44 AM) It...   Dec 3 2007, 04:03 AM


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