X Prize

The past century has been a blur of progress and development, toppling over the boundaries we had set before us using innovation, technology and creativity. Philosophers, psychologists and sociologists have stood back in awe and flooded our world with new terminology and expressions in an attempt to understand and commemorate this remarkable time in our history. Our progress has been astounding, building on itself with such ease that if you don't pay attention, in 10 years time, you could look around and not recognize your world.

For years I've been waiting for this same push to begin with Space Science and Exploration. I waited for a whisper of it, for a whiff of change that this field would be opened to the consumer and commercial market so that we could build upon our knowledge and exploration of Space as we have with computer sciences.

In 2004 it began and it began with great inspirational leaps. SpaceShip One's identity is not only in it's craft and in it's creators but in what it stands for and for what will follow it. SpaceShip One marked the beginning of consumer/commercial based space exploration and signifies the turning point in the future of Human space travel. We know the pattern well; if you put a field in the consumer/commercial market, it will boom and grow upon itself, daily striving to keep up with itself with new innovations and technology. It's simple; when you have that many people watching and pushing for improvement and pushing to see the future of it, it cannot resist excelling.

Computers evolved upon themselves trying to live up to the standards video games were demanding of them. Each time an individual developed a way to improve graphic design and display, the hardware had to improve with it. I'd have to say that 90% of computer science and technology's progress is due to consumer demand and commercial production.

Human desire is a force to be reckoned with.

Evolution at a visible speed is one that takes place in the mind, in will power, innovation, understanding and discovery. That may not seem like the common definition of evolution, but when it comes to mankind, that is where our next step lies. Our next step in evolution is not a physical one, but rather a mental one, one that lies in the realms and limits of our minds, abilities and discoveries. I have always believed this and have likewise believed that much of the key to our next step is in understanding and exploring our universe.

As long as History knew to record it, humans have been proving that anything is possible as long as enough people are behind it. Religion and faith are case in point; religion is the most successful organization in history and that is due to it's followers and to those who believed in pushing it forward. Without people's need to see is succeed, religion would become an out dated ceremony left to cave drawings and relics. Because of people's demand of it, religion is an intergral part of the common family and even modern government and law. Whether or not this is the way it should be, it is the way it is.

Take a look at successful businesses. Why is image, logo and name so important? So that more people can support it by using the name, logo and image in conversation and belief. "Google is the biggest search engine in the world" This is true, but one has to wonder whether or not it is true because it was said and because it was believed. If not, why care about your name and memorable image?

People are fuel for impossible endeavors and for too long people have been taken out of the equation in the realm of Space Research and Exploration.

Space has been given a restricted seal: For Government Eyes Only. Beyond that, it has been set on a lofty seat above the common people with the warning that dreams that involve space are ones left to the pipes. Space is just as accessible as the air, and the only thing that has kept us from it is the belief that we cannot do it because we are either not allowed or too common to succeed.

The X Prize has changed all that. This is what my dreams are made of, and we salute X prize and Google for their humanitarian efforts. This is the way to our future and finally it is in the hands of the innovative, creative public who have the real ability to push it to it's true potential.

"Google’s giving you 30 million reasons to join the space race.

The online giant is teaming with the X PRIZE Foundation in announcing the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize, a robotic race to the Moon.

The Google Lunar X PRIZE aims to challenge and inspire engineers and entrepreneurs from around the world to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration. The X PRIZE Foundation, best known for the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE for private suborbital spaceflight, is an educational nonprofit prize organization whose goal is to bring about radical breakthroughs to solve some of the greatest challenges facing the world today."

“The Google Lunar X PRIZE calls on entrepreneurs, engineers and visionaries from around the world to return us to the lunar surface and explore this environment for the benefit of all humanity,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation. “We are confident that teams from around the world will help develop new robotic and virtual presence technology, which will dramatically reduce the cost of space exploration.”"
- Reporter- Mazen Alkhamis of Science Mode
Interviewing Dr. Peter H. Diamandis
Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation

Quote from the X Prize website:
"We didn't just launch a spaceship, we launched a revolution.

Imagine a future where personal spaceflight is a reality, where super-efficient cars are affordable for everyone and medicines are personalized just for you...

The Foundation's strategy for fostering innovation is unique — we create high-profile competitions that attract and motivate radical breakthroughs for some of the most important challenges facing humanity."

We are joining the race.

Right now, we're going through the different design and launch plans, hashing out the problems and searching for all the best solutions. When we started, we just talked about it, asking questions to each other about each part of the mission and the machine, and when we faced a problem, we thought about it and suddenly, there was a solution, so easily in our grasp. In not long at all, we were looking at a workable plan and realized just how feasible the mission was. I shivered when I realized just how close within our reach it really is. Despite the race, if you decided to go to the moon, you could, with enough time, creativity, research and work; you can do it.

The 20 million dollar prize is fantastic and whoever wins it could use it to start a mission to Mars or a Space Station or a maned mission to the Moon etc. The real win here though is giving the people a win. Whoever wins the race will be winning for the public, proving that great things are within our reach and thus setting a course for our future. More and more people who have always wanted to research and explore space will come forward and lend their ideas to the table. It's the ideas and new perspectives that really get us going and that we really need. There's an unending stream of questions that the universe poses to us and what we need to even begin to understand it and navigate it is more minds on it on a constant basis. A private individual landing a rover on the moon is just what we need to realize just how much we can do.
There are a lot of groups out there right now with the funding, materials and expertise to win this race. Andy and I are two people with some very good ideas and plans. We plan on presenting our launch/rover plans and designs to someone who can fund us just enough to get us there for a cut of the win, and we plan on moving on it fast. Whether or not we make it for the race, and whether or not we win, we're going to try to launch a rocket and land a rover on the moon. This race is all about the future of Space Travel and Exploration, and you can't put a price on that. (Though 20 million would go really far to build a stable space station out there for consumer use, aimed at education to an open market).

I cannot express just how excited we are about this race, and I cannot begin to explain just how much we all need it.

I don't know if I'm allowed to post videos for the X Prize, if not, sorry guys, but I want everyone to know about this.