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Google now runs an airfield after signing a 60-year NASA lease
It's official: following months of negotiations, Google now has an airfield to call its own. The company's Planetary Ventures wing has signed a lease with NASA that lets it manage Moffett Federal Airfield, including three hangars, two runways and even a golf course. The 60-year (!) deal will have the internet giant shell out $6.3 million per year in upkeep, and a total of $1.16 billion in rent. Don't worry that Google will run roughshod over Moffett's historical significance. The agreement also has the company pledging $200 million to both restore the hangars and create a previously promised educational building that illustrates the airfield's role in Silicon Valley's past. Google hasn't said exactly what it plans to do with the new turf, but the odds are that it'll be used for much more than executives' private jets. Don't be shocked if you see some internet balloons floating over Mountain View in the years ahead. [Image credit: Erik Charlton, Flickr]
Daily Roundup: alleged Windows Phone 8.1 leak, ARM's Cortex-A17 processor, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Google to take over huge NASA hangar, give execs' private planes a home
You might get zero hits now when you search for pics of a giant fleet of Google zeppelins, but that could change in the not-too-distant future. Planetary Ventures, one of the company's subsidiaries, just got into an agreement to take over a humongous NASA hangar (named Hangar One) in Mountain View that's big enough to house a slew of dirigibles. To be exact, Google will lease Hangar One and its surrounding land, including its associated airfield, from NASA -- that is, if the two can agree on the lease's terms. Considering Google's rolling in dough, however, price will likely not be an issue. If the deal goes through, Planetary Ventures will re-skin Hangar One (it was stripped down to its metal framework years ago), build an educational facility and upgrade an existing golf course in the area. It will also handle the airfield's operations, so NASA can slash off its maintenance costs and earn from the lease at the same time. It's unclear what exactly Google plans to do to more than eight acres of space, but we're guessing it's big enough to house its many projects, its execs' numerous jets and even all its internet balloons. [Image credit: Erik Charlton/Flickr]
