Google Putting $US30 Million Into X PRIZE Robotics Moon Race

Google and X PRIZE are teaming up to offer $US30 million in cash rewards to companies and organisations that can land a robotic rover on the Moon and do a bunch of mission objectives. Their first prize is $US25M, second prize is $US5M, there’s an extra $US5M in bonus stuff to the losers. The challenge to engineers, physicists, space men, and aerospace moguls is to make and coordinate “orbital mechanics, remote-control robotics, and bring-your-own bandwidth” together in a cohesive unit so it doesn’t accidentally cause a rip in our Space Time continuum.

Of course, instead of that great speech that was given the first time we landed on the moon, the robot will throw up a couple 111000101, 1001010101, 010101010101, and a PREPARE TO DIE, EARTHLINGS. [Wired]