Can Google fly us to the Moon?

Soon. Earth may send a stream of robotic probes to the moon, as a new· race to our 'eighth continent' is heating up. This time. though, the running will not be made by government-led 'agencies like NASA and ESA. Instead, private companies are , leading the way. with tech giant Google' providing the incentives. Spurring ' inventors from around the world is a $30m reward, the Google Lunar XPrize. The mission: to successfully deploy a robotic craft on the lunar surface; make it move at least 500 metres, and send high-definition 'mooncasts' back to Earth.