Google Prize !!!!!

Though it did not make the front pages,  or the middle pages, or even the back pages, the race to place a robot on the moon is still on!!! Oh yes there are many governments pursuing this worthwhile effort and these I applaud. However I am referring about the individual, non-government efforts that are hoping to win the prize so generously offered by Google. I was so excited to learn about this that I walked around and told that would listen and some of those that did not want to listen how wonderful it was that this was happening. A few must have thought I was touched by the very moon those people were aiming for in their plans.

However I am still very excited about this endeavour and I am saddened that I lack the resources to send a robot to the moon. The building of the robot is not the hard part. The real hard part is getting the fuel and the rocket and the launching it. After this the problems compound. Once it is launched you must be able to track the trajectory of the robot rocket. Since the earth, sun and moon are constantly in motion relative to each other there must be a way of attitude and course adjustment. Then there is the problem of communicating over the vast distance from the surface of the earth to the surface of the moon. I would like the robots to be autonomous but everything that will place this precious cargo in one piece may not be. Then on  the moon the robot has to traverse the surface and send pictures back to eager humans!!

This would be an accomplishment and a half and I wonder if the world will take any notice. I feel that the world has its priorities upside down. To me the use of robots heralds a safer and better world. We make our world from what choices we make and the paths we follow. So it seems that I will continue to jump up and down and tell those that think I am a bit touched and exclaim to the world that this is something to shout about !!!!