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Official Questions and Answers |
The following are questions posed by potential Teams, Letter of Intent signatories, and Registered Teams in the Google Lunar X PRIZE, along with their official answers as provided by the X PRIZE Foundation. These Questions and Answers are meant to provide further clarification to the requirements discussed in the Official Guidelines for the Google Lunar X PRIZE.
The X PRIZE Foundation considers all questions regarding the Google Lunar X PRIZE. Those questions that might be relevant to multiple Teams are collected, rewritten into standard language, and answered in this common document. The Foundation expects to issue updated versions of this Official Questions and Answers document approximately once a month until such point as the Official Guidelines are finalized in the Official Rules of the Google Lunar X PRIZE, at which point a new document will be created.
Further questions may be submitted by sending an email to glxp-team -AT- xprize -DOT- org
Q1) What provisions do you have for confidentiality? How do we keep our innovations from being revealed to other teams?
A1) The X PRIZE Foundation treats confidentiality very seriously. The Registration package for the Google Lunar X PRIZE contains a lengthy mutual non-disclosure agreement--that way, teams can feel confident sharing their data with us before they even become an official team.
Prizes are effective in no small part due to public promotion of both the competition and the teams. Some public disclosure of your operational and mission plans will be required, as shown in the Registration package and Guidelines. However, the Foundation will attempt to guard each team's competitive advantage while still fulfilling the educational and public outreach goals of the X PRIZE Foundation. While each team can and should protect its intellectual property, we will require our teams to explain their systems in general terms understandable to the general public, without giving away strategic advantage.
Many fields in the Registration Package are marked with asterisks as a way to note material that “shall not be publicly listed, except in aggregate form using data from all registered competitors.” Applicants should assume that information not clearly marked as proprietary may be released to the general public. Date: December 14, 2007
Q2) Does the X PRIZE Foundation have a strategy for dealing with ITAR and other similar regulations?
A2) The USA's International Traffic in Arms Regulations and similar regulations in other nations are important, binding policies that all Google Lunar X PRIZE Teams must follow. It is up to each team to comply with these and other national laws, policies, and regulations. For the specific mission required by the Google Lunar X PRIZE, however, this may not be as daunting as it first seems.
Many ITAR and similar restrictions for a Google Lunar X PRIZE-winning effort will involve the launch of the spacecraft, particularly if the launch takes place in a country other than where the spacecraft was built. Most launch companies worldwide, however, are familiar with these restrictions and have established processes for dealing with the requirements these laws impose. Notably, our Preferred Launch Partner, SpaceX, has offered to work in good faith with teams from any nation or set of nations, and may offer a practical, ITAR-compliant launch solution from a variety of launch sites at a variety of latitudes. For this and other technology transfer issues, approval can be obtained for international collaboration by working with the applicable agencies, such as the U.S. State Department. We encourage teams to begin this process early in order to ensure it is not a limiting factor in the competition.
Dating back to the Ansari X PRIZE, the X PRIZE Foundation has a proud legacy of working with regulatory agencies to identify regulatory vacuums or to help the agencies proactively accommodate upcoming requests from industry. The Foundation will once again educate and advise the appropriate government agencies in the U.S. and internationally and act as an advocate for all of our teams for this prize. However, the burden of proof of compliance ultimately rests with each of our teams. Date: December 14, 2007
Q3) The Guidelines state in Section 7.2 (“Intellectual Property”) that Teams own all of the intellectual property “associated with the design, manufacture, and operation of CRAFT, secondary vehicles, and subsystems.” Does this extend to any results of the mission that go beyond the requirements of the Prize, such as scientific or commercial information?
A3) Yes. The X PRIZE Foundation will make no claim on any data or other intellectual properties that are not part of the Mooncast or other prize requirements and are derived or delivered by instruments or payloads on the CRAFT or secondary vehicles.
If the team intends to include this data in a data package that also contains data relevant to claiming the Prize, the Team must make prior arrangements with XPF regarding this data to allow for its protection. Date: December 14, 2007
Q4) Section 5.3.2 (“Blogging and Video”) requires that teams provide updates to an XPF-designated website. What limits are placed on teams in terms of their use of individual or corporate non-XPF websites? What restrictions, if any, do you place on the blogging activities of individual team members?
A4) The XPF-designated website should be the official venue for all updates specifically related to your prize entry. We encourage heavy use of the Foundation designated web site for blogs, videos, and other updates, as increased traffic there means more exposure for the team and the prize
However, we expect that many of our teams will maintain active websites for other projects, day-to-day business, personal use, et cetera. These will realistically include blogs, and that is certainly fine with us. Promotion of posts on the X PRIZE site, including posts that quote from and link to other posts on the X PRIZE site, may be carried on these external sites. Date: December 14, 2007
Q5) Section 7 of the Guidelines gives the X PRIZE Foundation exclusive licensing to a great deal of imagery and video, including much of the imagery and video taken on the surface of the Moon. Can teams also make deals such as reality TV shows, documentaries, et cetera?
A5) The X PRIZE Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 educational foundation, has existing and pending media deals that are fundamentally critical to the Foundation’s ability to conduct competitions such as the Google Lunar X PRIZE. If we allowed teams to undercut these with their own deals, we would not have prizes to offer. The Foundation's position as the owner of media rights for all of its competitions allows us to negotiate deals for much more media exposure than any team on its own could reasonably expect to achieve.
If a Team has a concept for a media property it would like to sell, they should contact the X PRIZE Foundation immediately. Where the X PRIZE Foundation determines that such products do not interfere with Foundation obligations and responsibilities, Teams will be allowed to pursue them. Date: December 14, 2007
Q6) Section 5.6 states that "TEAMs shall provide notice of pending sponsorships no later than 15 days prior to the execution of any sponsorship agreement..." Will this be kept confidential?
A6) Yes. XPF may discuss potential sponsorships with Google and other Google Lunar X PRIZE sponsors in the event of a possible conflict. However, XPF will not publicly disclose any sponsorships not publicly acknowledged by the Team. Date: December 14, 2007
Q7) Section 5.6 (“Sponsorships”) prevents teams from entering “into sponsorship agreements with any entity that interferes with Google or XPF.” Does this mean, for example, that a team could not enter into a collaborative relationship or sponsorship with Microsoft, Yahoo, or any other Google competitor?
A7) Teams may indeed enter into collaborative relationships or sponsorships with Google’s competitors. However, the Foundation may prevent relationships with entities that conflict with the Foundation’s role as a not-for-profit educational Foundation. Examples include, but are not limited to, hate groups or tobacco companies. Date: December 14, 2007
Q8) Section 8.2 states that "XPF reserves the right for any reason to reject the application of any potential TEAM, TEAM Leader, or TEAM Member..." What is meant by “any reason”?
A8) The Google Lunar X PRIZE is an independent competition with no political, technological, bureaucratic or industrial bias. The X PRIZE Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to education and to the benefit of all humanity, and as such will not reject any team application based on nationality, age, gender, or other such characteristics of a team or team members. The XPF reserves the right to reject the application of any team that actively opposes the XPF mission or any team whose actions would conflict with the Foundation’s role as a not-for-profit educational Foundation. Additionally, X PRIZE Foundation employees and their families may not participate in nor have a financial interest in Google Lunar X PRIZE teams or vehicles. Any team whose application is rejected has 45 days to appeal the decision. Date: December 14, 2007
Q9) Regarding Section 4.3 (“Approval”): If an application is not approved, are all Registration fees refunded?
A9) Yes. Any fee accompanying an application that is denied will be refunded to the Team without interest, and minus any applicable bank transfer fees. Date: December 14, 2007
Q10) Are there limits on team members, such as age limits or a limit on how many people can be on a team?
A10) No, so long as the other requirements are all met. Date: December 14, 2007
Q11) The Guidelines clearly allow for "a secondary vehicle carried by the CRAFT." Can there be multiple secondary vehicles?
A11) Yes, there can be multiple secondary (or tertiary, et cetera) vehicles. Date: December 14, 2007
Q12) Does the CRAFT have to be robotic? Could a vehicle carrying humans win the prize?
A12) The Google Lunar X PRIZE is intended to be a competition among robotic vehicles. Given the added cost and complexity associated with human lunar missions, none are anticipated. However, a vehicle could theoretically carry humans while attempting to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE. If a Team were to propose a human mission, additional requirements would be levied to guarantee appropriate safety and survivability concerns. Any and all registration applications signaling an intention to carry humans on the mission will receive a further set of guidelines and rules as additional provisions to the eventual Master Team Agreement. Date: December 14, 2007
Q13) Are there any restrictions on the mass or volume of a team’s craft?
A13) No. As long as the craft can complete the mission and fulfill all of the requirements of the Google Lunar X PRIZE, it can be any size. Date: December 14, 2007
Q14) Section 5.10 (“Launch”) notes that launch attempts will be disclosed to the public three months prior to the window. Why is this much time given?
A14) Incentive-based prize competitions are dependent on public involvement. Keeping the public informed helps increase the X PRIZE Foundation’s ability to educate and transform how people think about the issues involved. It increases the likelihood of future prizes and generates more income for teams and their sponsors. Three months notice prior to a launch will allow members of the public, including educators and members of the media, to make plans to cover and/or “participate” in the mission in a more highly involved way. As all teams must deliver this 3 month notice, no team could use this window to reschedule a launch to come before another team. Date: December 14, 2007
Q15) Who pays for the launch?
A15) Teams are responsible for funding all phases of their missions, including launch. The Google Lunar X PRIZE Grand Prize, Second Place Prize, and Bonus Prizes will only be paid out after the completion of a successful mission that meets the requirements of each Prize. Date: December 14, 2007
Q16) Section 2.5 (“Payload Requirements”) requires that all or part of the X PRIZE Foundation’s payload must be affixed to the exterior of the craft. This may impact vehicle design, both by driving the center of gravity of the vehicle and by requiring a surface or surfaces large enough to affix the payload. Can this be avoided?
A16) One major goal of the Google Lunar X PRIZE is to lead to the development of vehicles that can be used for further exploration (both governmental and private)--and the ability to deliver payloads will be a critical component of any such capability. Additionally, the Payload will be used to fulfill a wide variety of public outreach and educational goals. As such, this requirement will not be waived unless alternative means of compliance can be demonstrated. The X PRIZE Foundation will work with the Teams to minimize delays and design impact based on the design specifications of the payload. Date: December 14, 2007
Q17) Section 2.1 requires teams to "obtain prior approval ... of the proposed lunar landing site." What accuracy will be required? What happens if, through a miscalculation or operational error, a team misses the targeted landing area?
A17) This rule exists to ensure that teams exercise appropriate caution with regard to the possibility of landing on or near sites of historic or scientific interest. The Guidelines place no actual requirements on landing accuracy. They merely require the submission and approval of a landing site plan.
The X PRIZE Foundation acknowledges that many sites on the lunar surface are of profound historical and emotional value to all humanity. Therefore, the X PRIZE Foundation will take an active role in encouraging public debate as to how to best treat these important sites. The Foundation will hold a session on this topic at an upcoming conference. Date: December 14, 2007
Q18) Does the craft have to “soft land?” If so, what is the definition of “soft land?”
A18) The vehicle landing must only be soft enough that the craft and any necessary secondary vehicles can meet all of the other prize requirements. Date: December 14, 2007
Q19) Section 2.2 (“Mobility”) requires teams to move "along the surface of the Moon in a deliberate manner." Is flying under rocket power an acceptable way to move? Is deliberately moving downhill with gravity considered a "deliberate manner" in keeping with the requirements?
A19) As the intent of this rule is to show that a vehicle like the prize entrant could be used for future missions, mobility under a “gravity tumble” or slide would not be considered deliberate. Though controlled motion downhill would be accepted, we would expect the craft to demonstrate that it could, for example, have moved uphill if there were a site of particular interest. Flying under rocket power would be acceptable, so long as all other prize requirements are met. Date: December 14, 2007
Q20) Section 2.2 (“Mobility”) states that the 500m mobility requirement may be met by "a journey connecting a series of waypoints approved by the Google Lunar X PRIZE Judging Panel." When is the approval granted? What will the Judging Panel expect for waypoints as part of the “Mobility Mission Requirement”?
A20) All teams will be required to submit a notification of launch attempt that will include a great deal of information, including an early notional mobility plan. However, accommodations will be made to adjust this plan after landing to reflect information about the landing site and nearby points of interest.
Though the decisions about waypoints will ultimately be made on a case-by-case basis, the Judging Panel will be looking for mobility that both shows an interesting path and shows the ability to move a distance of 500m across the lunar surface in a deliberate manner about its environment. Notionally, a craft that moves back and forth over a 1 meter track 500 times would not be accepted (fails to be an interesting path), nor would something that simply slides down a slope for 500 meters (fails to demonstrate the ability to purposefully move 500m), but something that follows the perimeter of a semicircle for 500m to observe a nearby point of interest from multiple angles, resulting in a endpoint less than 500m away from the starting point, probably would be accepted. Date: December 14, 2007
Q21) If a team does bring multiple mobile vehicles (e.g. the CRAFT, a secondary vehicle, et cetera), do all of them have to move 500 meters? Or can they move a cumulative 500 meters?
A21) The intent of the 500 meter requirement is to ensure that a vehicle like the prize entrant could be used for future missions. In order to conduct useful science, exploration, or commercial activity, the ability to roam about the lunar surface is helpful. Therefore, the intent of the 500 meter rule was that a single craft show an ability to move at least 500 meters away from the landing site. Date: December 14, 2007
Q22) Section 2.3.1 (“Mooncast Minimum Size”) states that the "Mooncast requirements are designed around the expectation of successful delivery of at least 500 Megabytes (MB) of useful data per Mooncast." Is this "useful data" compressed, or may it be compressed to a smaller size, transmitted, and uncompressed on earth?
A22) As noted, this is just designed around an expectation. Generally speaking, if you add up the amount of photography, video, and other data described in the Mooncast content list, you are talking about roughly 500 MB of data using industry standard compression. However, Teams are certainly welcome to develop new compression algorithms that allow the same content to be transmitted in fewer megabytes, provided that it meets the quality and content standards and that X PRIZE Foundation is provided the data in widely viewable standards for public dissemination. Additionally, the X PRIZE Foundation and the Google Lunar X PRIZE Judging Panel must be given any tools and training necessary to convert the raw data into usable formats directly. Date: December 14, 2007
Q23) Do the video, email, and text messages described in Section 2.3.5.1 have to be in a specific format?
A23) The video can be in any format provided that it meets the quality and content standards and that the X PRIZE Foundation is provided the data in widely viewable standards for public dissemination. Additionally, the X PRIZE Foundation and the Google Lunar X PRIZE Judging Panel must be given any tools and training necessary to convert the raw data into usable formats directly.
Email, text messages, et cetera will be provided to Teams by XPF in the exact format in which they should be transmitted from the Moon back to Earth. Date: December 14, 2007
Q24) If a Team uses both a Landing Craft and a Secondary Vehicle, is there a requirement as to which one must record the first Departure Video, as described in Section 2.3.3.1? Can the Landing Craft record the Secondary Vehicle departing, or must the Secondary Vehicle record itself departing?
A24) The Departure Video can be recorded from either craft/vehicle. Multiple views will be gladly accepted. Date: December 14, 2007
Q25) The “Looking Back Detail Image” described in Section 2.3.3.3 must “clearly show tracks”. If there is no secondary vehicle, and the primary vehicle does not roam, but instead "flies" above the surface or otherwise does not leave tracks, there are no "tracks" other than that of the original landing site impact. What are the requirements of tracks to be shown in this instance?
A25) If any Team expects to move in a way that will not leave visible tracks, accommodations to this requirement will be made based on the specifics of that vehicle. If no equivalent shot can be identified, a replacement shot may be included to keep the Mooncast total data volume and content approximately equivalent. Date: December 14, 2007
Q26) The "Looking Back Detail Image” described in Section 2.3.3.3 must contain at least 40% of the CRAFT's surface area." Does “surface area” include all external surfaces of the craft—including top and bottom?
A26) Yes, “surface area” includes all external surfaces of the craft. The 40% requirement takes into account likely vehicle geometries and orientation. It is assumed that most teams will not image the underside of the vehicle.
Teams may need to mosaic multiple pictures, take pictures from a fish eye lens, or utilize other creative means to achieve this picture. For reference, this requirement has been met and exceeded on rovers such as NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers. Date: December 14, 2007
Q27) In Sections 2.4.3.5 through 2.4.3.11, could a mobile secondary vehicle image a stationary Landing Craft?
A27) This is spelled out in the individual requirements. For example, the description of the Mid-Journey Self Portrait (Section 2.3.3.5) reads “CRAFT or secondary vehicle … after it has roamed approximately 250 meters,” indicating that the imaged object must be the object that has moved. Later subsections have similar wording. Date: December 14, 2007
Q28) The definition of “Near Real Time Video” requirements (Section 2.3.4.3) refer to a “frame rate appropriate to the action in the frame, with a maximum requirement of 15 frames per second?” Why is there a maximum frames per second measurement, rather than a minimum. Is that a typo?
A28) The intent of this Section of the Guidelines is to ensure that videos delivered to the Earth convey motion when viewed. If the CRAFT or secondary vehicle is moving very slowly, the video may be required to capture much fewer than fifteen frames per second, so that the final video display would convey significant motion. Date: December 14, 2007
Q29) The definition of “Near Real Time Video” (Section 2.3.4.3) also refers to a bitrate requirement of 256kbps. Can teams exceed this?
A29) Yes. Date: December 14, 2007
Q30) Section 2.3 states "The CRAFT or secondary vehicle video camera system shall have pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities..." Are the capabilities themselves important, or simply the kind of images or movies that could be taken with these types of systems?
A30) If a Team can show alternate means of compliance with all Mooncast requirements without displaying one of those capabilities, this should be presented well in advance of the mission to assure competition requirements will be met. Date: December 14, 2007
Q31) In the Mooncast Content section (Sections 2.3.2 and 2.3.3), the format shows that things like the Departure Video are to be sent twice: once in low resolution and the same video again in HD. The two transmissions are shown in sub-bullets a) and b) below the sections. However, the parts of the both Mooncast Content sections that deal with additional video (Sections 2.3.2.7, 2.3.2.8, 2.3.3.10, and 2.3.3.11) don't follow this format. Are these intended to be duplicate transmissions as required in other sections, or distinct videos?
A31) These videos may be duplicate transmissions. Future versions of the Guidelines will emulate the format used for other Mooncast Content sections. Date: December 14, 2007
Q32) How soon after an event does “Near Real Time Video” have to be transmitted in order to be accepted?
A32) As the name “Near Real Time Video” implies, the intent of this video is to provide something close to a “live” viewing experience for audiences around the world. No specific requirement will be levied on all teams, but each team will be expected to find a way to deliver data down relatively quickly. Each Team will work with XPF to create a plan for returning these videos. Date: December 14, 2007
Q33) Must any videos (Near Real Time Video or High Definition) be transmitted while the rover is moving?
A34) Some of the videos may need to be recorded while the rover is moving, but the Guidelines do not require transmission while the craft is moving. Date: December 14, 2007
Q34) Are there any Guidelines for compression of the Mooncasts?
A34) No, apart from the requirement that the X PRIZE Foundation is provided the data in useful standards for review and/or for public dissemination. Additionally, the X PRIZE Foundation and the Google Lunar X PRIZE Judging Panel must be given any tools and training necessary to convert the raw data into usable formats directly. Date: December 14, 2007
Q35) Will teams attempting an airbag-assisted landing still be required to deliver a Descent Video, as described in Section 2.3.2.1?
A35)If a similar video, as determined by XPF, cannot be taken, the team must work with XPF prior to launch of the spacecraft to come up with an alternative means of compliance. This may involve augmentation of other sections of the Mooncast requirements in order to preserve an equivalent data volume. Date: December 14, 2007
Q36) Section 1.3 states that "this document, as revised, will become the Official Rules of the Google Lunar X PRIZE no later than January 1, 2009." This seems to be a little late to set down the official rules. Similarly, the Guidelines list several places where information will be provided to teams “no later than July 20, 2009” (for example, Section 2.5, 3.3, 6.2, 6.3, et cetera). What if Teams are ready to launch before then? Can this deadline be moved forward?
A36) Having an adequate review period is important to allow us to design the absolute best rule set possible. While we do not expect the guidelines to change drastically as we finalize them into rules, we do expect to identify and improve gray areas that need clarification, loopholes that need closing, and inadvertently burdensome requirements that can be removed without detracting from the competition. Keeping the rules flexible is therefore of very real benefit to the teams.
The Guidelines note these changes will be made “no later than” 2009. If any team were to be ready to attempt a launch prior to that time, we would react accordingly; however, given the difficulty of getting on to a launch manifest (much less fundraising, building a lander, and planning a mission), there seems to be a low probability of launch before January of 2009. Date: December 14, 2007
Q37) Regarding Section 8.4 (“Waiver of Requirements”): How will this be apply if a Team has already won the Grand Prize by completing the full prize requirements?
A37) This ability to waive requirements will be used to award prizes when the intent of the prize rules have been met but a technical requirement has not. It is not likely that a different standard would be applied for the Grand Prize versus the Second Place prize. Date: December 14, 2007
Q38) Can you provide more information about the Bonus Prizes?
A38) Full detail on the Bonus requirements, including related Mooncast requirements, will be revealed at a later date. Date: December 14, 2007
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