Sunday, March 02, 2008

Google Lunar X PRIZE Articles Keep Coming In

Yes, the Google Lunar X PRIZE media storm seems to be working, and the GLXP articles and interviews keeping arriving. Here's a sample, and that's after filtering out lots of articles that I didn't think added enough new information, or at least a new or interesting spin on old information, on top of all the other articles I've linked to:

NPR talks to the leader and namesake of open source Team FREDNET in a radio interview. It sounds like they have members from lots and lots of countries.

The Sunday Herald discusses an as-yet unregistered team from Scotland's Glasgow University, led by Dr. Gianmarco Radice.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has a local take on Red Whittaker's career and life, including a great deal about the Lunar X PRIZE team work.

On the Google Lunar X PRIZE Teams page, SCSG posts about funding. Their estimate to meet the prize requirements is $20M. They'd like to find a sponsor for the whole amount rather than raise the money piecemeal (possibly leaving an early sponsor paying without having enough money to finish), but for now they're working on it as is. Probably one of the more well-known team members, Rex Ridenoure, CEO of Ecliptic Enterprises, is mentioned in the post. I didn't know this, but according to this Space Show bio, Rex was

Chief Mission Architect and VP for Commercial Payloads at BlastOff! Corporation, which made the most progress to date toward sending the first commercial spacecraft to the surface of the Moon.

Also at the X PRIZE Foundation site is a link to a Science Magazine article about the GLXP teams, especially SCSG, Odyssey Moon, and Astrobotic.