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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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tuvas
post Sep 15 2007, 01:48 PM
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Something else that no one has said about Google backing it, to a degree they already have an agreement with NASA with several things, why not try to fund something privately? It does make sense. Google isn't above doing things that help people with different things, even some of which might not turn a profit, but, well, it doesn't hurt.

As to what the commercial value is of such an application, there are 3 things that I can think of (One of which I heard from here). First of all, someone could potentially land a rover on the moon, and sell the rights to control the rover for a period of time. The moon would be idea for this, because there's always somewhere facing the Earth, and it gets 2 weeks of sun at a time. I know many people on here are MER fans, just imagine if you could control it for a period of time. There are people who would pay alot of money for that. If you can get to the moon for around $30 million, and stay there for say, 3 lunar days, assuming 2 weeks of sellability per lunar day, and you've got 6 weeks worth of time to sell. That's 40 days, so you only have to make $1 million or so per day, and you're in the green. If you could sell an hour controlling the moon rover for $40,000, or perhaps some kind of exclusive footage for a price, you're doing quite well. Add in corporate sponsorships, etc, and you're in real good condition. Of course, there's alot of ifs here, but, well, it is in theory possible.

Secondly, it's one more stage to the moon. If you can get a robot there, then it's not that much harder to get a habitat, then humans there. It's a building block for future manned missions to the moon, that don't have anything to do with the government.

Lastly, as someone mentioned, anyone capable of doing such a thing can easily get NASA contracts.

So, as a whole, it's probably not going to turn a profit right away, but it's a start. I could see alot of technology being played at because of this mission. Just thought I'd toss in my $.02.
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- 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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