Google's sponsering a new X Prize, and this one has its sights set a bit higher than suborbital. The new contest wants competitors to send a robotic rover to the moon and beam back a gigabyte of data -- including pictures and video -- of the trip. The rover also has to travel 1,312 feet across the surface of the moon. Contest entrants are required to pony up for the launch vehicle themselves, by building it from scratch or contracting with an existing company; like the last X Prize there's no government freeloading to be had here. If somebody is successful in this feat by 2012 they'll win the $20 million, while $5 million goes to second place, and another $5 million bonus goes to teams able to surpass the minum requirements. The prize drops to $15 million after 2012 and expires in 2014 if nobody manages to win by then. More details will be announced at the WIRED Nextfest in LA this weekend.
posted September 13th 2007 3:58PM
According to Google, 1312 feet is 399.9 meters. I'm assuming that is the brief, and Engadget / Someone else converted it to feet
"1337" feet would be more appropriate.
It's a cool project but 20 million sounds like Google is not too serious about this, I mean is pocket lint for these people.
But for 20 million, bah, fine, I'll give it a shot...
Its a crap shoot getting data from my office to the bedroom. So the moon seems totally out of reach.
If it was $20m plus expenses, then you'd see people take a moon-shot at this. The energy needed to break the earth's gravity is way more than what's needed to reach x-craft 'space' heights, so that means bigger rockets to be developed with no hope of recouping costs from moon tourism.
The cash incentive that's so relatively low in relation to space ventures seems to imply that Google wants someone to do it at a fraction of the cost that has been done in the past. If someone can develop a rover cheap and efficient, then Google can attempt to buy it and pursue Google Moon more ambitiously...that said, I don't really see why any company would be so crazed on spending so much money on a project like Google Moon...
Let me see here, I'll need the following:
1. FAA approval to launch an object to the atmosphere and beyond it.
2. FAA approval for a launch vehicle in the first place.
3. Clearance from the FAA of course before I do anything.
4. A working robotic rover to traverse 1312 feet across the moon's surface.
5. Enough fuel to burn to reach escape velocity. Hmm, hydrazine or common hydrogen peroxide or liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen, which would probably get me the attention of the FBI and Homeland Security.
6. Therefore, need clearance from them as well.
7. Build a UHF radio transmitter/receiver to accept/send data to/from the rover/probe.
8. Oh, FCC approval for radio device on both units.
9. More permits from local and state agencies.
10. And a sh**load of money overall.
Yeah, it seems very doable for any simple, common person that has no connections with major companies.
*sarcasm*
True, a lot of red tape, though who says this needs to be done from U.S. soil? Probably cheaper to use a French or Indian rocket, anyway.
It makes me wonder:
If you were to launch this in international waters or on a deserted island, would there be more or less red tape to do so? And, do you still need permission?
big deal!! Clark Kent flies to the moon so often, his schedule is like the Staten Island ferry!!
It's all fun and games until someone blows up the moon. Just see time machine :'(.
I forget, so I'll just ask. But didn't it cost a couple of billion (and let's face it, that could be '60s or '00s dollars in this case) to get us to Moon. No withstanding the idea that government spending may be wasteful, do we really suppose it's 2 orders of magnitude outta whack?
You'll have to realize that most of the money spent by NASA in 1969 to send the first men to the moon was spent for research and development, as well as tests, of a rocket and suitable vehicle to send someone to and from the moon. That money was also spent for fuel, food, and other supplies, as well as equipment, training, and preparation for the launch moon landing, and moon escape.
Seeing that this X Prize competition does not require sending a man to the moon but a probe and/or rover, the costs should be substantially less. Also, there are a lot more permits and red tape you have to get cleared and approved for sending a human being up in a rocket and beyond the atmosphere and back.
I had bookmarked once the FAA regulations and requirements for sending someone to space, and it's pretty lengthy if anyone wants to read it.
Also, it has been agreed by a large number of international governments to never use the moon for militaristic purposes. So, there shouldn't be any trouble sending anything up there since it's only asking for pictures and a vehicle to traverse the moon.
As for fuel, majority of it will be spent during launch on Earth and lift off from the moon (if sending the probe back). Other fuel requirements will only be needed for course correction on the way to the moon since you'll just have to slingshot your space delivery vehicle to the moon after it swings around Earth a few times.
So, realistically, I'd say that the cost should be anywhere between 1/6 to 1/12th of that spent sending three men to the moon, and probably a lot less. But, it is still too much for any common person who has big dreams of going into space or getting themselves involved in this contest.
I would enter this contest in a heartbeat if I had the money honestly.
Paul Miller, you sir are a f-tard for not knowing how to spell "sponsoring".
Oh great!!!! I wish this contest would have rolled out 3 months ago when I sent my Zune and camcorder to the Moon!
My school might take a poke at it. We easily build the rover, but building the rockets should be pretty hard. You'd need so many stages.
Who would give somebody permission in the US to launch the equivalent of a Saturn booster? It'll have to be launched from Russia somewhere. I'd like to see somebody in the Middle East try to launch one. It'll probably initiate World War III.
Not really … I mean we will announce our launch few days ahead. To the entire world.
A Project Orion vehicle, albeit with conventional high-yield explosives could do it for 0.5 million...
Hold on.... there's a $50mil prize to get a private craft into orbit, but only $20mil to get to the moon?
Google needs to work on its notion of "incentive".
I'm pretty sure by "private craft" they mean a person riding inside of the spacecraft. Not just sending an un-maned robot to the moon.
I love Google! Still!
Now... if only Microsoft, with their DEEP pockets, cut toss 50 mil in the pot.
THAT would really make a spark!
You do realize that this is one of the most bat-shit crazy ideas of how to get
a robot to the moon don't you?
1) PDA sized robots?
2) A gun or cannon?
3)...???
Well, at least there will be an interesting fireworks show after the pda is shot out of the cannon into the atmosphere...... oh well - it will should be a fun process 718
Just wait till they find out that the moon is fake and actually an anti-spiral/spiral weapon
We all know that Google's master plan is to conquer the universe... I guess this is their first step
It sounds like someone at Google believes the "we didnt go to the moon" thing. Or doesn't and wants to prove it.
The Moon is so 1990's, it's all about Mars in the 21st century - I want my GoogleMars so I can pick out a nice juicy piece of prime real estate to buy in a few years and then I'll be rolling in doe when Microsoft wants to establish their HQ there. :D
I've got 1600 acres of prime real estate on the moon they could use for their testing, if they need it.
http://moonshop.com/