Google on the Moon

Space exploration has long been of interest to various governments and their space programs, but Google hopes to change that and make space exploration more plausible for organizations who aren't affiliated with the government. In order to accomplish this, Google has teamed up with the X Prize foundation to form a space exploration program.

The Google Lunar X Prize is a competition open to groups that are privately funded. Their goal is to land a rover on the moon. It has to be able to move at least 500 meters across the surface, take pictures, videos and collect data. The rover will also have to be designed to withstand the harsh conditions on the moon, such as radiation and extreme temperatures. All of that must be accomplished by December 31, 2012.

Teams are supposed to have as little government involvement as possible, and create their rovers as inexpensively as they can as well. As of now 13 teams have formally entered the competition from around the world, and up to 12 more are expected to enter soon. The team members consist of all different kinds of people; university scientists, businessmen, engineers, robotics experts as well as college students.

Of course, if a team is able to complete the mission by the date set, Google is giving away some lavish prizes. The first team to successfully land a rover on the moon and meet all of the conditions set by the rules will win $20 million, as well as bonus prizes. If no team accomplishes the task within the time line, the prize will drop to $15 million and after two years will no longer be available.

NASA has approved of the project, saying that they're "excited about anyone who's excited about space. We don't claim to have a monopoly on exploration."