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Israel, The Third Nation on the Moon?

(Forbes) Daniel Freedman - If all goes according to plan, by December 2012 a team of three young Israeli scientists will have landed a tiny spacecraft on the moon, explored the lunar surface, and transmitted live video back to earth, thereby scooping up a $20 million prize (the Google Lunar X Prize) and making the Jewish state the third nation (after the U.S. and Russia) to land a probe on the moon. And they're doing it in their spare time. Three engineers who have high-level day jobs in the Israeli science and technology world recruited around 50 volunteers and gained support from academic institutions, including the prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science. According to the X Prize organizers, the 29 competing teams will spend between $15 million and $100 million on the project, with the earliest launch not scheduled until 2013. The Israelis aim to spend around $10 million and to launch before 2013.
2011-04-01 00:00:00
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