Google paying scientists to shoot for the moon
Google put up big bucks today for the first person or company to develop a privately funded robot that will softly land on the moon and spend some time collecting data to be sent back to Earth. The grand prize for the Google sponsored Lunar X-Prize is $20 million, and runners up will receive their share of $10 million additional dollars.
The X PRIZE Foundation could think of no better sponsor and partner than Google. We share a common vision for opening frontiers and a belief that a small dedicated group of individuals can accomplish amazing feats at very low cost.
In addition to the news about the Lunar X-Prize, Google also launched a new version of Google Moon -- you know, the service that once confirmed the moon was made of cheese. The newly update service now shows more information, and even provides the panoramic view astronauts who landed saw after stepping foot on the lunar surface.
