"Moon 2.0" Inspiring the Next Generation of Lunar Explorers

Forty years ago this week, the Astronauts of Apollo 11 became the first humans to set foot on the Moon, ushering in a new era of human exploration of the universe. Indeed, even by today's standards, the Apollo program was nothing short of astounding. With an average age in the late 20s, Apollo engineers were forced to substitute creativity and youthful ambition for experience as they worked to develop the technology to send humans to the Moon and to bring them back. Given the freedom to design without preconceived notions, these young innovators were able to achieve the seemingly unachievable, all in a staggering eight-year period.

Since then, the world's space agencies have made steady and important progress in their exploration of space with rovers, space telescopes, shuttles, and space stations. Yet, even after forty years, our ambitions to send explorers back to the Moon and, eventually, deeper into space have not yet become a reality. As we reflect on the accomplishments of Apollo, we honor the program's giant leaps, and recognize that our efforts to explore the universe have only just begun.

We believe the time is ripe for private industry to assist in creating a new era of sustainable, international lunar exploration -- a "Moon 2.0." If the first version of mankind's journey to the Moon was about flags and footprints, Moon 2.0 is focused on a new standard of sustained participatory exploration and the expansion of new markets and economic opportunities. But in order for Moon 2.0 to match and even exceed the triumphs of the first era of lunar exploration, we will need to find a way to liberate the genius of human beings all around the planet to meet the rigorous demands of a sustainable exploration program.

The Google Lunar X PRIZE is our solution to that problem. Announced in late 2007, the Google Lunar X PRIZE is designed to jump-start Moon 2.0 by providing an undeniable incentive for a new generation of engineers and spacecraft. This $30 million dollar competition -- a new race to space -- has already inspired 19 teams representing more than 40 countries to try to become the first private organization to land a rover on the Moon, move safely around the lunar surface, and return high definition video and photographs to eager audiences here on Earth. Indeed, it is our hope that the world will be riveted by the competitive spirit of the contenders and by the data that they will transmit back to Earth. Through this competition, we look forward to sparking a renewed interest in space and inspiring a new generation to make discoveries that will have benefits all around the world.

And this week, moving Moon 2.0 into 3D, Google has just released the Moon in Google Earth, which provides a free and intuitive platform for people of all ages to explore photographs and data collected from 40 years of lunar missions, including the Apollo missions.

We believe that providing such a simple method for users to virtually "surf" around the surface of the Moon will help recreate some of the sense of wonder that so many felt as they gathered around their televisions to watch the Apollo astronauts explore the lunar surface. People all around the globe, regardless of age, gender, or educational background, will be able to explore the stunning and intriguing data returned from government spacecraft and, eventually, the Google Lunar X PRIZE winning teams.

Both the prize and the software are being offered at a unique moment in time. The Moon has once again caught the attention of the world -- not only is it a focus of civil space agencies, it is a focal point for the burgeoning commercial space industry as well. We expect that the technological and financial successes achieved by many of the private teams competing for Google Lunar X PRIZE will help lower the cost of lunar exploration by an order of magnitude or more. A commercial mechanism will emerge that allows us to accomplish more for less money, presenting space agencies around the world with new customers and new opportunities.

This progress will lead to enormous benefits not only for space exploration, but for quality of life here on Earth. Along the way, both the Google Lunar X PRIZE and the Moon in Google Earth will serve as sources of information and inspiration for all people as we watch compelling content developed as a result of these initiatives. Moon 2.0 and Moon in Google Earth will enable a new generation to fall in love with space, and will help them to better understand both the capabilities of advanced technology and the benefits of lunar exploration.

Larry Page is co-founder of Google, Inc. and Dr. Peter H. Diamandis is Chairman and CEO of X PRIZE Foundation.

Comments

[juskidding]

manifest destiny all over again!

[juskidding]

i sincerely hope and pray that

human beings leave the rest of the universe alone and in peace.

[ianrthorpe]

Why go back to the moon, there's nothing there. here in Britain Richard Branson is about to launch the space tourism industry with his Virgin Space venture while in Califpornian a company named Bigelow Aerospace is developing an inflatable orbiting space station capable of supporting human communities - no, I'm serious. Look here's a link. Bigelow Aerospace


And although I don't subscribe to any moon landing conspiracy theories here is one question about the Apollo 11 mission that has never been answered. Moon Landing, Earth Landing

[vippy]

Anytime the government lies to us, we have conspiracies. If they would only stick to the truth they would have no need to justify anything, think about it.
Also a film and camera as they had taken to the moon supposedly would have never been able to have images taken on it. Too many holes in that story.

[WilliePilgrim]

Last weeks impact on Jupiter's south pole should serve as something of a wake-up call for those who are engaged with planning our technological future in space.Gett­ing to the moon would be hard and not do much to make us profient in the kind of space engineering that is required to access the rest of planetary neighborhood. Think about it; from the one of the LaGrangina points, a space station similar to but on a greater scale than the ISS (or push the one we have into a stable and permanent location, a station could begin the collection and transmission of serious solar power (orders of magnitude greater than the intensity of solar on earth), with a fully powered station we could not only observe at length the neighboring space for potential threats, we'd have an ideal long term platform for studying climate, weather, tectonics. From an L7 point we could create a much more effective craft tor going to the moon. Not one needing to withstand the rigors of earth launch. We could harvest asteroids for materials and send robots to mars to prepare the way. The shortest distance is not always the best way.

[fathr2brodie]

Ok, NASA research has given us so much from their research, but it is time to move on. We are never going to go to Mars, and all the talk of drilling for Helium 3 just reminds me of "Drill Baby Drill." Perhaps Helium 3 is on the moon for a reason and we should not tinker with that. But if we would transfer our funds from NASA to say oceanic research we would still be able to maintain the gains we make in technology and we may be able to figure some things out with our own planet that could help us out.

[SILVANUS]

Hmmmm, did Bowie's son get some financing as a tie-in for his "Moon" film as part of this cross-fade?

[Balzac]

Well, I for one, welcome our new overlords from Google. Even though I feel a bit like Gil Scott Heron right now.

"The man jus' upped my rent las' night.
('cause Whitey's on the moon)
No hot water, no toilets, no lights.
(but Whitey's on the moon) "

I'd feel more enthusiastic if I had 20 mil in the bank and I could at least afford to go into orbit like Mark Shuttleworth.

Well, at least I've got my IT start-up and I have hope. Also, while I respect the achievements of Google and even Microsoft, I consider GNU to be the strongest brand in software. Don't forget to pay tribute to the GNU Father: http://www.disruptech.com/content/gnu-father

[Mikesacola]

The moon has helium 3, a perfect fuel. 25 tons would power the USA for a year. That's one cargo trip from moon to earth. Why are not these moon 2.0 "visionaries" using this obvious motive for further moon exploration as the rallying cheer to get the effort going? Why all the vague talk of possible scientific benefits put in front of us instead of the real reason - helium 3. I suspect it's simply to allow the rich to piggyback, on public expense, a free ride and then claim private mining rights.

[vippy]

We don't have to reach that far, how about just photosynthesis theory, a charge of one hour would power the whole globe for one year but the USA already said no. They would not make that much money from us if they did.

[Bluetiger]

Don't go to the moon yet. You will get stuck there.
Build the L7 space center first. That will allow you to go back and forth to the moon easily and provide the platform for Mars launches. But it has to be of such a size to have centrifugal gravity like forces. This will allow through regular stays crews to stay out there longer. This is what the original space lab was to grow into but never did.

[RepugsOut08]

I grew up with the space program, and I'm a big fan of continued exploration. I just hope that some treaties can be signed, that will guarantee that our view of the moon from Earth will not change.
Do your mining and pillaging of the moon on the far side. I can't imagine that, even in the future, any young lovers spooning beneath the moonlight will want to look up at a giant GOOGLE advertisment.

[noaxe397]

If geeks who can't get dates need something to do, let them invent something that more directly impacts life on earth.

The problem with this Moon 2.0 is that, like any grand enterprise undertaken by capitalists the ultimate goal is to privatize the profits and socialize the costs.

Just like our private armies in Iraq. When they get into trouble the public (taxpayer) army has to bail them out.
I could just see the pocket protector crowd getting stranded on the moon and NASA, using my tax dollars, sending the rscue ship for them.

The reason our space program was so succesful back then was precisely the opposite reason: private enterprise was kept out of it. As soon as we started to experiment with civilians in space, then problems, lie Challenger disaster, started.

There are some final frontiers that must be kept safe from capitalists.

[lilian101]

If you need a job in the space market, China is on the way to the moon, private industry can go in cahoots with China, no need for US involvements, "A daunting new mission to the Moon was launched Tuesday by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA). Chang’e-1 blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, Sichuan, atop a Long March 3A rocket -the first step in the Chinese ambition to land robotic explorers on the Moon before 2020." October 25, 2007, China's New Moon Mission Blasts Off -Is Mining Helium 3 the Ultimate Goal?, the Daily Galaxy retreived Jul 20 2009 from http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/10/chinas-new-moon.html

[ManiDeli]

Manned spaceflight, costly showbiz not science.

[Caralampio]

...and pork. Lots and lots of pork. Unmanned space exploration is where the science has always come from.

[jatkins]

Tremendous advances in medicine, computing, electronics, and numerous other areas all benefited from the Apollo program. Unmanned space exploration is cheaper, but doesn't bring with it all the spinoffs of human spaceflight.

[kevinw]

I believe this prize is a great idea. Right now the rich investor class needs to be the ones providing the dollars to continue space exploration. If the government wants to participate at all, it should be in the rea of design and propulsion. That does not mean that we need anymore shuttle missions. It also does not mean that we need a new greyhound bus (shuttle) to go to the bus station in orbit. In this time of limited resources, it is time that we went back to pure research and engineer a new method of travel. We also need work in the areas of air purification, water generation and oxygen recovery. Currently there is no way to travel to any of neighbors having to carry all of our provisions with us.

Set a realistic goal, then do the science. To succeed at this game, you can't just provide an oh and ah at take off. You need to be serious about this going forward. Do not go up again until you have a truly re-usable spacecraft. Anybody that suggests that going back to the Apollo design in the new Constellation proposal is a new and flexible design is as honest as a health Insurance claims adjuster.

[Scent]

I strongly believe You are wrong.

Look at what private sectors have done to ans field the government had them take over. They leave behind burned ground with every step.

It is high time for us to learn a leasson that is so simple that that fact we did not as yet learn it is the greatest success of negative marketing ever: Profit as the guiding factor of everthing is poison to at least 95% of the people. Probably more like 99%. Even those who have some part in the profiteering for some time will eventually be scythed down by the real players.

What would the private sector do on the moon? - If there was anything to be found they would take it, make people work it off the moon in gruelling shifts and dangerous working conditions and in the end the working force would lose everything to some crisis while the profits rest in Bermuda untill again an interest of 25% per year can be gained from it or until it is needed to ruin some country for its reserves. - Gaining even more.

No, the private sector is the last sector we as a people want to see anywhere. Especially where common wealth is then given away to the parasites of the economy and the ones who SHOULD own it work their butts off for other people's money until the are too sick and tired to work anymore.

[jatkins]

Helium-3 is on the moon. If you mine that, you'll become very, very rich. It means nuclear power without nuclear waste.