Well, anyone who can bring their own spacecraft. Google and several other sponsors are holding a contest to see who can build a robotic rover to send to the moon.
The real purpose of this contest is to pool together all the knowledge of our smartest people and reduce the cost of private space exploration. It won't make it affordable for the average person and not any time soon, but it is exciting to think that more than just a government astronaut can and will go into space. There is $30 million in prizes/sponsorship and the winner MUST have their rover land on the moon, travel 500 feet and send back pictures to Earth by the end of 2012. Now, you have to do all of the above before the cash is handed out, but think of how great it would be to be the first private person/organization/industry to do that!
There is also a kids version, so to speak, that Google is sponsoring. They can't win $30 million, but they can win $1,000 that can be used to go to the Global Conference on Educational Robotics held in 2008 or to cover part of the costs towards their 2009 Botball team registration.
Space exploration is an exciting idea for all of us. Google and the other sponsors are getting the average person just that much closer to actually reaching the stars.
1 comment:
What a great contest! I don't think I'll be entering though...
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