Google's $20 Million Space Prize

Google is offering a $20 million prize to anyone who can land a rover on the moon.
http://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-10/ff_moon

I have suggested elsewhere that the United States should stop the billions of dollars it spends on cancer research and instead offer a billion dollars to anyone who can find a cure for cancer.

President Richard Nixon declared war on cancer. Since then billions have been spent on research. Billions more are spent each year. What you get is more research, but no cure is in sight.

Offer a billion dollars as a prize for curing colon cancer, or breast cancer, and you will see investment bankers loaning money to geeks with ideas about cancer cells. You will find smart guys looking for the prize. You will find smart guys who are looking for a challenge and a reward.

Maybe Google or a wealthy philanthropist will offer a prize for a cancer cure. I don't expect the government to do so.

Another option would be for someone to create a tax free foundation to accept donations toward a prize to cure different types of cancer. As the donations poured in the size of the prize would increase. Offering a prize to cure breast or ovarian cancer would garner much publicity because these are cancers that are specific to women.

Charles Tolleson