Google...IN SPACE

                For you person (or maybe multiple...I’ll be optimistic and use the plural) people who read my blog, you know I love to write about the absurd, idealistic, and game changing technologies in the world. For my next instalment, I’m picking something slightly more probable in development than let’s say… solar roadways.  Google starting development on its space program!

                That’s right! Google is going galactic! Today they announced that they would be leasing the historic Navy Blimp Hangar at Moffett Field near Silicon Valley California. The 80 year old 20 story building will need 200million dollars in renovations before it becomes operational, but Google has leased the property for 60 years, so they’ll have plenty of time to bring it up to speed. Executives say that they will use the Hangar “as a research, development, assembly and testing facility for its efforts in space exploration, aviation, rover/robotics and other emerging technologies. (CNN)” The program will be called Googles’ Planetary Ventures.

                I’m particularly excited about this story. Obviously Google means business; I mean committing to anything for 60 years is outrageous! Even people that get married aren’t expected to be together for 60 years! But seriously, I’ve always wanted to go to space, and in 60 years it very well be an option, even though I’ll be 80… if I’m still alive you can bet your ass ill pay to go up there.

                But there’s also a strong possibility this could go south. I mean look how ironic it is that this program is starting in a BLIMP HANGAR. The Navy built it so that it would be the base for their “west coast blimp operations.” I think we all know how the story was written for blimps; A bit of an over-anticipation on the part of the U.S Navy.

                But I’m being optimistic today! Perhaps the biggest reason this is a noteworthy story, is just the simple fact that more companies are filling the space exploration void that has been left by the depletion of NASA. A company like Google is a huge leader in the tech world. Their leadership role on a project like this could hopefully develop into something like the IMB model of the mid-20^th century that essentially constructed the modern computer and internet, in a speedy way. Space travel could be an actual possibility in the near future, just look at how far we have gone in computing in an extremely short period of time.

Being of the Liberal political persuasion, I tend to be against big business, but this is one of the rare cases where a company can drastically improve the world if they were to take the reins and just commit to private space travel.