There’s already been a moon race.  The U.S. won.  We went to the moon on 5 Apollo missions from 1969 to ‘72.  We brought back rocks, did science experiments, and rode our moon buggy all around.  That was over 30 years ago.  So, why go back?  Why go to the moon now?  Why put up $30 million to start a new moon race?

The Google X Prize will encourage man to go back to the moon.  The governments haven’t used the new technology developed since the 1960’s to make it possible to travel to the moon, so private enterprise needs to do it now.  The $30 million will get people excited about a new moon race.    [15] 

Why go to the Moon and not Mars?

Scientists think that space exploration is important to our survival as a species.  The moon is important to space exploration.  It is 22 times easier to launch a spaceship from the moon than the earth.  The moon is close enough to radio control lunar robots from the earth. Lunar robots could prepare for people to go to the moon.  We could learn how to protect people from cosmic and solar radiation, how to ‘live off the land’ by mining for materials to produce oxygen, power and building supplies, and how long periods of time away from earth gravity effect humans.  There are a lot of questions that could be answered on the moon.  We could learn a lot about exploring space by sending people to live and work on the moon.  Lunar colonies would be close enough to earth to return quickly or be able to rescue if something goes wrong.  Mars on the other hand is very far away.  We need to practice living in space before we attempt to send a man to Mars. 

The lack of atmosphere means you can use electric motors to launch instead of expensive rockets.  The lunar soil of regolith is made of silicon, aluminum, iron and other metals.  Silicon could be used to make solar panels that could be used in a lunar solar power satellite.  Clean energy could then be sent back to earth even during the night.    Helium 3 could be mined on the moon and provide low-radiation fusion fuel.  There are many volatiles on the moon that could be mined for use there or for export to the earth.   [6]