NASA Eyes Cash Prizes Of Its Own

joeldg writes "Wired is reporting that NASA is considering offering cash prizes for space innovation. 'Lembeck said NASA would consider offering $10 million to $30 million in prizes to encourage private investors to develop space vehicles. Such prizes appear compatible with the vision for space exploration released last week by a White House commission that studied President Bush's plan to send Americans back to the moon and possibly to Mars.'"

Comments

space prizes

[loid_void]

I can see it now. Space Sailing, Moon Boarding, Zero G MotoCross... ESPN EXXTREME SPACE.

Re:space prizes

[HarveyBirdman]

ESPN EXXTREME SPACE.

Add an X and go for spacepr0n.

The Spice Network presents EXXXTREME SPACE!

Just think, in microgravity everyone has perky breasts!

Just wear those condoms, guys. We don't need your spooge getting in the attitude controls.

Re:space prizes

[idfrsr]

that's nothing.....Reality TV is the way to go

Next on HBC.... Average Joe Wants to Marry A Trillionaire On Survivor Asteroid

One Question

[Enlarge Your Penis]

I'm British. If I develop something, will the NASA reward actually manage to convert the units properly this time?

Re:One Question

[sjwaste]

Mod me down for this if you must, but how on Earth (no pun intended) was the above comment modded insightful? Sarcasm != insight.

But in the spirit (pun intended) of the good ol' USA, we might've missed a couple conversions, but both of our mars rovers are looking pretty good right now, aren't they?

Re:One Question

[fucksl4shd0t]

but how on Earth (no pun intended) was the above comment modded insightful?

Perhaps he was modded insightful when the mod meant funny, but the mod wanted him to get actual karma for the mod? I've noticed people seem to be doing that lately as a form of protest against the fact that funny mods don't get karma anymore....

Re:One Question

[Anonymous Coward]

No need to bother. Blair will adjust the UK to use US units.

Re:One Question

[Andy Mitchell]

But in the spirit (pun intended) of the good ol' USA, we might've missed a couple conversions, but both of our mars rovers are looking pretty good right now, aren't they?

Don't be too hard on the Beagle.

To understand what happens its useful to know a little of the background of the people and places behind this project.

For many years the BBC used to have a television production facility on the same campus as the open university, where Colin Pillinger works. In this fertile environment Mr Pillinger would of come into contact with BBC employees. Now, the BBC is well known for its innovative techniques in special effects and ground breaking children's television.

With hindsight it is perhaps too easy to suggest that he should not have been so influenced by the construction techniques on the children's television show known as "Blue Peter".

By using the same techniques and the customary large quantities of sticky back plastic, old washing up liquid bottles and lots of sticky tape the team was able to put together a space probe in record time.

An interesting note is that the project nearly had to be scrapped as Mr. Pillingers mum was using fairy liquid and as we all know a small amount of that brand goes a long way and she was not willing to allow her son to have the bottle until she had used every drop. This particular bottle was needed to construct part of the mechanism used to deploy one of the airbags.

This is where the project downfall came from. On their tight British project budget they had no choice but to purchase their own bottle but could only afford the supermarkets own brand. Unfortunately the lower quality of the plastic in this product is now suspected to have caused a catastophic failure to deploy one of the airbags.

While you Americans may be tempted to look down on our brave little attempt this would not be wise as we might then have to remind you about the following probes: mars observer, climate orbiter and the polar lander. If that fails we might then have to mention a nasty incident during the war of 1812 that required the white washing of a well known building located in Washington D.C. :-)

Details of the prize just in

[Enlarge Your Penis]

Apparently, if you can think of a way of preventing NASA developing anything new for the next 20 years you win something called a "pork barrel"

A few questions

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently one could receive a prize for:-

". . .for returning a piece of an asteroid to Earth."

Does the asteroid have to originally be part of the Earth?

Does the asteroid have to be collected whilst it is outside the Earth's atmosphere?

How big of a piece is required?

Indeed,

"the first soft landing on the moon"

Begs the question what exactly is a hard landing?

I'll start

[Vertex Operator]

$10 to the first company that develops a
spaceship that flies to Mars and back.

Re:I'll start

[fimbulvetr]

I'll pitch in $100. +$20 if you take me with.

Re:I'll start

[Anonymous Coward]

$1000 if you take my mother-in-law and don't come back.

Re:Excellent.

[Anonymous Coward]

have you heard the one about the libertarian and the fire department?

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

We live in a very strange world

[ArcticCelt]

I just opened my browser on slashdot and I saw two news, one under the other but very different.

One is about a group of hard working scientists who dream of a world where new possibilities are created and human kind evolve to a higher level and the other about a group of litigious bastards who dream of a world where they have so much money that it leaks through their ass and everybody listen to the same crappy music made by some fake overpaid artist.

Mmm, we live in a very strange world. :|

Re:In Other Words...

[aelbric]

Yeah, it's not like that tax money came from private enterprise or the private taxpayer in the first.......oh, wait

give them a call when you find your rover

[Anonymous Coward]

We've got two working, and at least one might last the Martian Winter. Give NASA a call when you find your Mars rover. Maybe there's a reward for it.

Real Incentive...

[PetoskeyGuy]

The money will be paid in one lump sum.
In Cash.
Tax Free.

The Catch? The cash is sitting in an unmarked briefcase somewhere on the moon.

Re:Real Incentive...

[Tumbleweed]

Hmm. I propose a giant 'tongue' made of buckyballs to spring outward from Earth, capture said unmarked briefcase on the Moon, and bring it back to me.

With said money, I will promote the best roadside attraction ever: a giant tongue that stretches from the Earth to the Moon! Can't lick _that_!

Profit.

Well I'm offering $10,000,000 of my own money...

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

...to whoever develops the warp drive and twice that for the transporter.

Re:don't crininalize the model rocket enthusiasts.

[fucksl4shd0t]

I think Anonymous Coward url postings should automatically be made links under the assumption that ACs are too stupid to do it themselves.

The rest of us can write html, right?

President Bush's plan

[iLEZ]

"President Bush's plan to send Americans back to the moon"
Yeah! That's were you belong! Damn yanks! ;)

Re:how about 100 billion for a space drive?

[comet_11]

you'd have to have sex in space. Any takers?

Sure, but we've only just met...