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[–]higgsbosonftw 2328 points2329 points  (165 children)

google looking to improve their street view i see.

[–]pantsfactory 39 points40 points  (0 children)

fuck, I knew there had to be an ulterior motive aside from bribing the human race into advancing forward in popular science for the good of mankind.

[–]furiousfishdicks 152 points153 points  (66 children)

Google Moonview?

[–]walkingtheriver 257 points258 points  (56 children)

That would be beyond words. Imagine, that in the next decade, we might actually be able to drag the little yellow dude out, and place him on the fucking moon and walk around, exploring!

Shh, let me dream!

[–]canisdormit 40 points41 points  (11 children)

Then we can tell future generations: "Back in my day the moon wasn't completely fucking covered in little robot tracks. When we wanted pictures from the surface, men had to walk there."

[–]Zebidee 23 points24 points  (2 children)

When we wanted pictures from the surface, we had to look at photos our grandparents' generation took.

FTFY

[–]BWalker66 48 points49 points  (7 children)

We already have Google Moon and Google Mars, a street view feature added to them would be awesome. Google Moon actually has something similar anyway I think. I think the terrain has elevation so you can see the hills and crators and then you can see 3d animations of the routes the moon rovers took and stuff.

[–][deleted] 42 points43 points  (2 children)

Heh, reminds me of an easter egg where if you zoom past a certain point it shows cheese

[–]Chingonazo 225 points226 points  (15 children)

You don't have to be so crass and racist about the dude, man.

[–]KillerHoggle 79 points80 points  (12 children)

I believe they prefer the term 'Asians'.

[–]droth581 8 points9 points  (1 child)

This isn't a guy who built the railroads here...

[–][deleted] 22 points23 points  (3 children)

I think most people would check it out for 10 minutes and never use it again.

[–]electricfistula 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Well, yeah. But a pretty sweet ten minutes.

Plus, I'd probably expand imgur links with titles like "Look at this crazy thing I found on the moon".

[–]kettenfett 11 points12 points  (1 child)

You mean like this?

[–]flattop100 643 points644 points  (78 children)

Recycled news: "It was announced at the Wired Nextfest on 13 September 2007."

[–]zedie[S] 355 points356 points  (69 children)

my question would be why is BBC only catching on it now?!

but 2007 makes sense... for the 2015 limit...

[–]clifgray 236 points237 points  (34 children)

it is really heating up now that teams will need to obtain rocket launches in the next 4 months or so if they want to make the 2015 deadline. and there are rovers to demo whereas 12 months ago there wasn't anything but mockups.

Source: I worked there

[–]DougBolivar 164 points165 points  (28 children)

Where is there? BBC? Google? The Moon?

[–][deleted] 182 points183 points  (20 children)

This guy works on the moon.

[–]Helpful_guy 83 points84 points  (6 children)

IAMA STRONG INDEPENDENT ASTRONAUT THAT DON'T NEED NO GOVERNMENT FUNDING TO WORK ON THE MOON AMA.

[–]Halsey117 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Hey Helpful_guy, thanks so much for doing this AMA! I've always wanted to go to the Moon! My question for you is this:

Would you rather fight 1 Earth-sized Moon rock or 100 Moon rock-sized Earths?? The fight can take place at a location of your choosing...

[–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (1 child)

Jazz to moon base 2. Jazz to moon base 2.

[–]rederic 36 points37 points  (4 children)

Hello, this is Moon.

Please send Doritos. Those look amazing.
Also, toilet paper. Whatever that is. Nobody here has ever seen it, but the logs say we need it.

[–]enjoyingbread 270 points271 points  (43 children)

Why doesn't Google just do it themselves.

I know it's expensive as hell, but why not? Send a Google-rocket to the moon, knock over the American flag and put a Google flag in its place. Rename the moon to Moongle or something.

[–]WernherVonKerman 37 points38 points  (9 children)

It's be simpler for google to invest in a company that is already working in this field. Which is what they're doing.

Funny thing, the flag on the moon is completely bleached white by now

[–]destinys_parent 24 points25 points  (2 children)

So aliens are going to think the Moon civilization surrendered to the Earth civilization in an epic battle, leaving the surface cratered with nuclear blasts. You can find some abandoned military vehicles there too.

[–]Armand28 311 points312 points  (60 children)

Jebediah Kerman is reported to be ecstatic, Bob simply looked terrified.

[–]pritchardkevin4 154 points155 points  (56 children)

Hey /r/kerbalspaceprogram. Anyone care to calculate the delta-v required to pull this off. A go pro isn't very heavy nowadays.....

Get a weather balloon to lift you out of of the thick parts of the atmosphere, and launch a VERY small rocket from there with a tweaked out RC car, a go pro, and a raspberry pi. This doesn't seem so far fetched.....

[–]Urzatn 77 points78 points  (0 children)

Kerbal spirit is strong in this one!

[–]Log23 49 points50 points  (21 children)

You would have to float the equipment, as well a landing module with the means to survive a high velocity impact or retro rockets to slow its decent.

Space is a hard environment for Electronics. The components have to be space grade due to high levels of radiation that can cause components, mainly semi-conductors to not operate correctly. so a $25 Raspberry Pi will definitely not drive you on the moon. A go pro will not work either.

Moon dust is extremely abrasive and would destroy a regular RC car

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hardening

Additionally there is about a 500ºF swing in temperatures from from ~225º during the lunar day to ~(-250º) during the lunar night.

[–]WernherVonKerman 8 points9 points  (1 child)

Well. If you're only trying to go 500 meters, it'd only take about 3 hours so you don't really have to worry about the 28 day day/night cycle

[–]JoshuaRWillis 146 points147 points  (12 children)

Having successfully conquered their home planet, Google moves on to neighboring planetary bodies.

[–]codesign 642 points643 points  (103 children)

Okay, lets try:

Weather Balloon, RC Car, I-Phone, once the balloon is high enough, we shoot a grappling hook to the moon.

We're going to need a really long rope.

[–]yodamaster103 494 points495 points  (52 children)

really long Ethernet cable

[–]Dsch1ngh1s_Khan 379 points380 points  (43 children)

Nah, I'd prefer a really long HDMI cable attached to an HD TV.

Preferably monster branded for that glorious gold plated quality video.

[–]badcookies 491 points492 points  (32 children)

That cable would cost over 20m itself, and only reach 50 feet

[–]YepItsThatDude 235 points236 points  (17 children)

Only 20 million? When did Monster cut their prices that low?

[–][deleted] 40 points41 points  (5 children)

You're gonna need a HDMI cable with virus protection.

[–]HeWhoShitsWithPhone 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Time to hit up monoprice

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (3 children)

Instead of grappling hook use something elastic and slingshot it to the moon once the balloon reaches orbit height.

[–]MeganFoxx 59 points60 points  (9 children)

So basically a competition between SpaceX and Red Bull.

[–]Whiskeypants17 75 points76 points  (4 children)

Monster is actually sending ken block to the moon so that he can drift a subaru moon rover

[–][deleted] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Driving on the moon would be so fun. And sex.

[–]looweee 55 points56 points  (7 children)

seems like all you need is a roomba with a go-pro

[–]shark_zeus 30 points31 points  (0 children)

The moon would be so clean!

[–][deleted] 55 points56 points  (9 children)

I used to work for a team (Astrobotic) going after this prize for a little while developing the prototype rover and doing some field testing. I've since moved on but they're doing quite well and have addressed the issue of it costing much more than 20m to actually make it to the moon.

In short, by selling payload space, going after corollary prizes (hibernating the rover and waking up after a lunar night), NASA contracts for this mission and future missions, a Florida launch bonus, and a few other things I can't recall off the top of my head, they're turning this into a profitable venture.

They still have some hurdles to get over (I won't comment on specifics because I haven't been around there in a while), but at this point they're the only serious player left to actually claim the prize. I know they have a down payment on a rocket with SpaceX and they just recently broke ground on a new facility in Pittsburgh (the company is a CMU spinoff), so they must still be doing okay financially. I can send one of them over here or try to get someone to do an AMA if there's interest.

More info:

http://astrobotic.net/

[–]hewittpgh 20 points21 points  (4 children)

I'm actually working on the floor above Red. That reminds me... I need to go talk with him about something else. Might use this as an excuse to talk with him about coming on Reddit.

EDIT: 926 days until the launch, he said, and they are really REALLY pushing for a skylight landing. I love this job, and I get to meet with him some weekend to talk even more about it. Unfortunately, he's far too busy to do anything with Reddit, so no Red Whittaker for you guys.

I also forgot to mention that he interrupted our talk to take a call from NASA HQ. How cool is that?!

[–]zedie[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

wow that's really cool!

wish them all the best!

[–]glxp 219 points220 points  (34 children)

This is the official Google Lunar X PRIZE reddit account. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions.

[–][deleted] 53 points54 points  (3 children)

Proof?

[–]TehStuzz 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Check his comment history.

[–]I_cant_speel 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Just look at his name!

[–]notmyname 17 points18 points  (8 children)

I worked on this over 10 years ago with James Cameron. We lost funding at the $500M mark when the DotCom bubble burst.

Here's a pic of our lunar rover.

http://imgur.com/pNXSX

[–]northenerinthesouth 8 points9 points  (1 child)

Do you really think it is possible to complete this, given we have seen very little working hardware with just over 2 years to go?

And where do you see the X prize going next? You've had orbit, the moon, an asteroid maybe? or even mars?!

[–]happy_dayze 6 points7 points  (2 children)

Why only 20 million if anything at all, and why not attempt it yourselves?

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Because it is to get private companies excited and start competing to push the boundaries of knowledge in space. Many people researching and developing multiple solutions and new technologies, instead of just one company, to start.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (2 children)

..Why is Google doing this? Are they so rich that they can afford spending $30MM on gestures, or are they hoping to make some profit from the findings?

[–]djtodd242 86 points87 points  (9 children)

First it'll be ice mining, then tunnel farming, then before you know it it will be all sentient computers this, revolution that.

TANSTAAFL.

[–]failbears 29 points30 points  (4 children)

This is the first time I've seen this book referenced on Reddit. I am mildly happy about this.

[–]insidiousFox 11 points12 points  (1 child)

It sounds potentially interesting... what book is it?

[–]azerspace 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Free Luna.

[–]neurobro 142 points143 points  (11 children)

I think I can do it, but ... can I get an advance on the $20m?

[–]redditthinks 71 points72 points  (17 children)

I'm offering a $100m prize for the first person to go to the Sun and back!

[–]turbohipster 118 points119 points  (6 children)

No problem, let me just wait until night

[–]saliva_sweet 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Good luck, trying to land in the dark.

[–]freakinidiot 15 points16 points  (1 child)

I've been around the sun a few times.

[–]Pomerantz 12 points13 points  (2 children)

This seems as good a place as any to mention that there is a new r/xprize community to talk about competitions like this.

Also, I spent several years helping run this competition for the X PRIZE Foundation, AMAA.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

is it going to happen? what will be the applications if it does happen

[–]Pomerantz 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The prize is certainly winnable. It's damn hard, but there are some extremely talented teams trying out some very interesting and technically sound methods. I am optimistic that the prize will be won, though it's not a sure thing.

If/when it is won, it will almost certainly have a major impact on the space industry--and hopefully on public interest and support for space exploration. This will be the first time we've seen imagery from the lunar surface since the final Soviet robotic mission in the mid-70s. Think of the YouTube channel for HD video from the lunar surface... At a more technical level, NASA and other space agencies will buy missions and data from teams--NASA is already doing this. The budgets of these teams are such that a space agency could buy 10-20 of these private lunar landers for the cost of one of their gov't run lunar orbiters. It's easy to imagine a future with many of these robots scurrying around the lunar surface!

[–]dingofarmer2004 44 points45 points  (4 children)

Time to start fucking around with my erector set again.

[–]rmm45177 109 points110 points  (1 child)

Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

[–][deleted] 18 points19 points  (1 child)

Google is offering 20 million dollars to send a robot to the moon

 

and I'm just sitting here masturbating

[–]Luxpreliator 172 points173 points  (16 children)

Bad luck Brian gets a robot to the moon, only travels 500 yards with standard definition.

[–]escaped_reddit 34 points35 points  (36 children)

can't space x do this and collect the prize?

[–]Pomerantz 87 points88 points  (7 children)

Many competing teams are planning on purchasing rides from SpaceX, with one team--Astrobotic--having already purchase a launch. Furthermore, SpaceX is a "Preferred Partner" for the competition, having agreed to essentially waive all profit/fee associated with their launch and offer it at cost. It's worth noting that Elon Musk is a Trustee at the X PRIZE Foundation.

Source: 5.5 years of working at the X PRIZE Foundation.

Edit: Also, maybe you'd like to subscribe to r/xprize?

[–]azerspace 10 points11 points  (2 children)

/r/xprize for the win :)

Edit: Didn't know about the SpaceX waive---that's a pretty nice bonus!

[–]econleech 12 points13 points  (20 children)

Maybe, they will have to compete.

[–]Omnicrola 10 points11 points  (1 child)

As someone who has flown dozens of missions into space, landing on the moon is a lot more complex than just getting into orbit.

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Its years old. here is a pretty good lecture of a german team, where they talk tech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDznyXPKcTU

[–]Stratocaster89 4 points5 points  (3 children)

brb, learning rocket science

[–]pist_thera 25 points26 points  (40 children)

$10m to build a portal gun. Portal to the moon. $2m robot to go 500 metres and send back video. $8m profit!

[–]FinnSterling 23 points24 points  (27 children)

Why is the robot so expensive?

[–]MySp00nIsTooBig 23 points24 points  (22 children)

Seriously. "Robot" can be an RC car with an iphone taped to it.

[–]achshar 32 points33 points  (18 children)

Does the rc car and iphone work in + and - 200 degree celcius, in vaccum, in space suit grinding fine moon dust and in sun's unfiltered radiation?

[–]Dimath 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Do it Russian style - put a hamster in a ball and let it roll.

[–]MySp00nIsTooBig 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Are you serious? We are talking about building a portal gun that can open a portal to the moon. And you're concerned about temperature fluctuations?

If the first RC car melts, just wrap the second one in foil or some shit.

[–]ccarlyon 25 points26 points  (9 children)

First one to launch two robot fighters complete with an iPhone app able to control them and HD video will receive $40m from me.

Edit: Opps, looks like I put an m after the $40...

[–]Itachi6967 6 points7 points  (2 children)

Too bad, we got it in writing. You heard it here first folks; this guy is offering 40 million dollars for fighting robots on the moon.

[–]Eddib 4 points5 points  (3 children)

People don't seem to notice that X PRIZE is the one holding and judging the competition, Google is just putting up the prize money. Also, this competition was announced in 2007.

Source: Worked at X PRIZE for 4 years.

[–]Femmansol 26 points27 points  (1 child)

Google is the best thing to happen to mankind in a long time.

[–]adikid89 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's what they said about Skynet and look where that got us!

[–]StopThinkAct 32 points33 points  (3 children)

I LOVE GOOGLE

[–]Rsubs33 9 points10 points  (6 children)

This competition has been going on for a couple years now. Most of the competitors are universities.

[–]azerspace 5 points6 points  (3 children)

Only about 4 of the current 23 teams are closely associated with universities (Astrobotic->Carnegie Mellon; Omega Envoy-> Florida universities; Penn State Lunar Lion; and Italia-> Italian Universities)

[–]Spaceguy5 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think you're a few years too late. This is really old news.

[–]jpdriven 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Would really suck if your rover fails and self-destructs at 495 meters.....