Google backs private Moon landing, Google is offering a $30m prize pot to private firms that land a Options

[SkyeLab]

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

[nprev]

This Google prize is getting a LOT of media attention, so perhaps that's the whole objective. Notice also that they're offering $5M bonuses for visiting "historical sites", which of course would mean Apollo landing sites.

Still...$30M isn't much of an incentive, unless it's meant to help an aspiring company recoup at least some of its development costs. Presumably any company that could pull this off would be "made", though, and perhaps become a prime govt contractor for lunar exploration someday...something like a super MSSS.

Doug's right, though; at the end of the day, it's hard to figure out what Google's real angle is in this; they need more publicity like I need more alimony. Do you suppose that they're so rich that true philanthrophy is their core motivation? (Nah...I don't think so either!)

EDIT: Horrible thought- Rover lands at Tranquility Base, drives right over Neil's first footprint on the Moon...

[AndyG]

EDIT: Horrible thought- Rover lands at Tranquility Base, drives right over Neil's first footprint on the Moon...

Would that not have been scoured off during the LEM ascent stage lift off? Or trodden on by Aldrin before that?

Still, I think an exclusion zone around the current landing sites might be in order. Until the Heritage Infrastructure has built up a bit. ;-)

Andy