Google Wants to Map the Moon

Google has teamed up with X Prize Foundation, a Santa Monica nonprofit prize institute and together have offered an ultimate challenge and payout of $30 million to any privately held company that can land a vehicle on the moon and stream back one gigabyte of data (images and video) to Earth! If the challenge does prove successful, it would make history as being the first time a non-government agency launched a lunar vessel out in to space.

The rules of the contest state – “This lunar space vehicle must trek 1,312 feet on the surface of the moon and transport images and real time video back to Earth. The images and video should include panoramic views and portraits of its self.”�
Google will pay out $20 million to anyone who can successfully complete this incredible mission challenge by the end of 2012. If there is no one successful by that date, the prize money drops to $15 million until the end of 2014 when the contest will end.

There will also be $5 million awarded to the second place team or individual and $5 million will be given as a bonus to any team that goes above and beyond the minimum contest requirements, for a grand total of $30 million in contest cash prize money.

This will be a very interesting contest or story to follow – Will there be any privately held company or an individual that is up to the challenge?
Source: moneycnn.com