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Google Businesses The Internet NASA Space

Google Forms Partnership With NASA 237

jangobongo writes "Google said on Wednesday that it plans to partner with NASA on space research projects. The new partnership will involve R&D on biotechnology, information technology and nanotechnology, as well as supercomputing. The news article notes some of the mutual benefits: "Google stands to gain from learning about NASA's supercomputers, which could come in handy as the Mountain View search engine compiles even bigger indexes of information and video. NASA leaders cited the benefits of getting access to Google's search expertise to pick out nuggets of information from the volumes of data streaming back from satellites and human space launches."" This story might seem familiar to you. Consider it a public service: if I didn't screw up occasionally, a lot of angry readers would have no other way to vent their rage in a safe environment.
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Google Forms Partnership With NASA

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  • by fembots ( 753724 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:02PM (#13679718) Homepage
    First they were collaborating on technology [slashdot.org], so the next natural step is to form a partnership. All in all took less than 10 hours to decide.
    • 10 more hours and they'll have a marriage with a couple of really rowdy kids running around the place...
    • by Linker3000 ( 626634 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:59PM (#13680229) Journal

      Slashdot EeziPost (TM) MK I

      #NB: For obvious reasons, the first option is ENABLED by default - remember to turn off if you are NOT responding to a dupe

      [X] Another: [X] Dupe [ ] Slashvertisment [X] WTF [X] $editor is a dork

      [ ] Frist psot [ ] link to GNAA [ ] Link to goatse [ ] $random_drivel

      [ ] I Haven't RTFA, but... $random_opinionated_comment

      [ ] Slashdotted already!. I bet their server runs on $topic_item too

      [ ] Soul_sucking registration required

      [ ] Mod Parent [ ] up [ ] Down

      [ ] Fsck: [ ] SCO [ ] Micro$oft [ ] DMCA [ ] DRM [ ] MPAA [ ] RIAA [ ] Google [ ] Bush [ ] You all

      [ ] I for one welcome our new $topic_item overlords

      [ ] Imagine a beowulf cluster of those

      [ ] In Soviet Russia, $topic_item owns you!

      [X] Meh!

      [ ] Netcraft confirms $topic_item is: [ ] dead [ ] dying

      [ ] But have the inventors thought of what will happen if $random_amateur_insight

      [ ] Once again the USA is clamping down on my [ ] Amendment rights.

      [ ] You insensitive clod

      [ ] But people who download music from P2P networks are more likely to buy the album

      [ ] Cue DVD Jon-type crack in 3..2..1

      [ ] Torrent, anyone?

      [ ] Here's a link to a patch: $random_linux_distro_url

      [ ] Profit!!

      [ ] Still no cure for cancer

      • by SoCalChris ( 573049 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @06:13PM (#13680305) Journal
        [ ] Still no cure for cancer

        I think your Slashdot EeziPost (TM) MK I is having a conflict with the Fark SquirrelNut Commentator 3000 (TM)
      • by Chris Pimlott ( 16212 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @06:42PM (#13680505)
        Don't forget

        [ ] Coral Cache: XXX.nyud.net:8090
  • R E P O S T (Score:5, Funny)

    by popo ( 107611 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:02PM (#13679721) Homepage

    Fer crying out loud, its not only a repost, its *still* up on the /. front page!!!

    Get it together CmdrTaco!
    • by Megane ( 129182 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:13PM (#13679850)
      Zonk is so good that he's been posting dupes before the original article appears!
      • by Rahga ( 13479 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:25PM (#13679986) Journal
        Physics can explain this...

        The article is moving is moving so fast that that while it appears to be in at the bottom of the page one second, then at the top of the page by the next second. However, the article has taken what would feel like days in our time to make the trip, and observes that we haven't moved at all.
    • I can't find it, but I think I saw somewhere where CmdrTaco said that dupes served a purpose, such as giving people who haven't seen the story yet a chance to read about it. Of course, the fact that the original for this story is on the front page is still pretty sad...
    • Evidently, Taco doesn't read /.
    • by oGMo ( 379 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:29PM (#13680026)
      But this one features the Google icon on top, so we're getting both sides of the story.
    • Re:R E P O S T (Score:5, Interesting)

      by djh101010 ( 656795 ) * on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:37PM (#13680084) Homepage Journal
      Fer crying out loud, its not only a repost, its *still* up on the /. front page!!!

      Once again, I saw this before it happened (subscribers see articles before they go "green") and reported it to the "If you see a serious problem with this article, report it to daddypants@slashdot.org". I sent the email, with a link and everything to Zonk's post of the same thing.

      Just like last time, nothing happened. No acknowledgement of the email (automated _or_ human), and the dupe went out.

      Hey editors, does anyone read the daddypants emails? Am I wasting my time? I mean, if you're not going to do anything about it anyway, remove the mailto: link.

      Annoyed,
      djh101010
      • I don't suppose that whatever rocket scientist who modded that post "redundant" would care to explain their thinking?
      • You're still subscribing?

        Why in the name of crikey would you want to do that? Continuing to shoot money their way is essentially reinforcing their poor behaviour.

        If it were me, I'd be thinking seriously about cancelling it and firing them a strongly-worded letter explaining why.
        • You're still subscribing? Why in the name of crikey would you want to do that? Continuing to shoot money their way is essentially reinforcing their poor behaviour.

          Well, I haven't used up my pages yet. As to if I'll send more money? (shrug) Dunno. I'm not really seeing any benefit to being a subscriber other than being able to see the dups before they're posted,y'know?
      • by extrasolar ( 28341 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @09:22PM (#13681406) Homepage Journal
        Well, maybe the daddypants account is just a joke or something. Here, try the following email address because I'm *sure* it works: rootdevslashnull@slashdot.org .
    • Fer crying out loud, its not only a repost, its *still* up on the /. front page!!!

      You know, I think I'll submit this same story tomorrow, and see if they post it ... :-)

    • It's a duplicate. If you want to discourage dup's, don't come look here and tell us it's a repost; don't click on it at all. If Slashdot gets no traffic from reposts, they'll soon stop wasting front page space on them.

      I sort of like reposts, since I usually don't come here often enough to see both the original and the repost. These dup's double the chance that I'll see a story on the front page. Having both on the front page at the same time is a little goofy, I have to admit. Still, if that doesn'

  • Sign me up for G.C.H.E.E.S.E.

    http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html [google.com]
  • Wow. (Score:1, Redundant)

    by bhsx ( 458600 )
    I thought they already did that.
    Hmm... shows what I know.
  • by rsmith-mac ( 639075 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:03PM (#13679735)
    Am I the only one that finds a certain sense of subtle irony in a search engine company searching space itself? Now if only I could use Google to find my car keys...
  • by Rude Turnip ( 49495 ) <valuation AT gmail DOT com> on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:03PM (#13679736)
    I think Google is just hoping to get discounted fares for trips to their lunar base.
  • I really cannot imagine that Google needs assistance with super computing? The distributed computing they perform alone shows their own expertise in the area. I also would assume that distributed computing serves their purposes better than a single super computer (or even a few).

    Really, what I am saying is, why is Google doing this, or more over, being allowed to do this? Seems to me to be a bunch of PR. When I first read it, I thought, "that's cool, good of them," but now I seem to find myself questi

    • While I do not believe the common folks would care, there are a lot of geeks that would love to google for Mars info, etc. It is information paid for with taxpayer $$, and has no national security implications... Unless the Martians are massing the space ships for an attack. :^)
    • but now I seem to find myself questioning what Google has to gain.

      Think about it. If you put some of the world's brightest minds in the same building and they all have a discussion among themselves, what would they conclude they would all like to do?

      GET OFF THIS GOD FORSAKEN PLANET!
    • Cue Collossus: "You will learn to love me"

      --The Forbin Project

  • Ive been saying this for the better part of two years now. Google will own the world! Its not MS you have to worry about. Maybe people should actually start putting in for their jobs on the lunar base as it might become a reality instead of a practicle joke :)
  • by totallygeek ( 263191 ) <sellis@totallygeek.com> on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:07PM (#13679793) Homepage
    The head of NASA will be saying, "Looking back, working with Google was a mistake."

    • More like the head of Google will be saying, "Looking back, working with NASA was a mistake."

      I guess the response to the April 1st ad to work at Google's Moon location was just to overwhelming to ignore.

        -Charles
  • Google's partnership with NASA confirmed! :-)
  • Its as if some terrific universal force has finally put 2 and 2 exclusive forces together. In that vein, I sure wish Nerf would get together with Louisville Slugger and produce a crotchbat that can handle my needs. As far as I'm concerned, the formula nerf + crotch hasn't yet equaled lots of fun.
  • MS-Spacestation? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by zappepcs ( 820751 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:12PM (#13679842) Journal
    Now that google is working with NASA (Twice) does this mean that Ms will build the MS Spacestation in order to beat google?
    • Of course then we would have to build the Linux Space Station "Tvorlds" to prove the MS SpaceStation "Ballmer" with it's proprietary technologies is bad and evil. Penguins in Space!

      Of course, Having THREE Space Stations (1.5 working, the OpenSource one and 25% of the other two) is a step forward from where the ISS is now.

  • by FreshFunk510 ( 526493 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:13PM (#13679849)
    .. play-by-play of the growing relationship with Google and Nasa? Because 2 stories in 1 day is certainly not enough for me.
  • Should Be Open Bid (Score:4, Interesting)

    by geomon ( 78680 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:13PM (#13679854) Homepage Journal
    The government should only form alliances with industry where there are no other obvious partners. While Google may have a lead on search technology, opening up the partnership process to include Microsoft and Yahoo! would benefit the government more than sole sourcing.

    Competition for government partnerships [bnl.gov] is always better than just selecting the current industry lead. The US government did that with office suites and is now paying a hefty price for that decision.
    • It seems like it would perhaps be a bad idea to let three cutthroat competitors into a parternship with an "outsider" ---on the one hand you get 3 different kinds of input, but how do you deal with the competitors squabbling?
    • by Brendor ( 208073 )
      I wrote this reply to the previous article but thought it might be relevant here as well. Google's "robustly academic" corporate culture of as well of their product offerings are well suited to NASA in particular.

      "Considering how much data NASA has to process, I think Google's tools fit right in . . ."

      I remember a TV news piece about NASA not having the capability to process the data in it s collection due to the bandwidth of the tape backup system at the time and the shelf life and quantity of the ta

  • Wow, search engine technology really is Rocket Science!

    At least it's not Brain Surgery [insidejoke.tv].
  • So, it's a dupe [slashdot.org].

    As a subscriber, you'll see a note under unposted articles that says:

    "See any serious problems with this story? Email our on-duty editor."

    You know what... I know this was a dupe, and I didn't tell their on-duty editor!!!!

    I'm feeling mischievous today.
  • I say, who would have thought? I know I couldn't have any prior knowledge of this [slashdot.org]. Not even if it had still be on the front page of Slashdot.
  • It’s supposed to read “Google Forms Partnership with NSA.”
  • by ecumenical_40oz ( 914889 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:17PM (#13679890)
    find: moon landing AND mars landing NOT 15 year wait NOT 10 Billion dollar price tag
  • As indicated on the brand-new slash-css website http://slashgisrs.org/ [slashgisrs.org] , this new "team" will probably have an impact on GIS.

    "Google's engineers will be able to pick NASA's brains for ideas on supercomputing design, which could help the company in its efforts to create products such as 3-D maps. "We already have Google Earth. We'd like to have Google Mars and Google Moon," quipped Peter Norvig, director of search quality at Google."
    Taken from http://appdomains.slashgisrs.org/article.pl?sid=05 /09/29/173248 [slashgisrs.org]
  • by eander315 ( 448340 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:21PM (#13679940)
    I wish they would partner with Slashdot so the editors can search the site before posting DUPES.
  • ..Consider it a public service: if I didn't screw up occasionally, a lot of angry readers would have no other way to vent their rage in a safe environment.

    what are you talking? if we were to direct our anger on you, then what is the-punch-bag-of-slashdot-dept CowboyNeal for?

  • by team99parody ( 880782 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:22PM (#13679946) Homepage
    From TFA: "Google stands to gain from learning about NASA's supercomputers, which could come in handy as the Mountain View search engine compiles even bigger indexes of information and video."

    More realistically, NASA's supercomputer guys stand to gain from learning how to build even bigger supercompuers than their for cheaper.

    It seems all too often that the press seems to misrepresent the old stoggy has-beens as "teaching" teh upstarts (like the other story on slashdot that claimed "HP Propelling Linux Into Truly 'Big' Time", when IBM & Google have pretty much proven that Linux is leading HP if anything propelling HP into the big time). [slashdot.org]

    I think the partnership's great, though -- I'd love to see what kinds of computing efforts could be pulled off with NASA's resources (billions are small to them (" as the average launch expenditures during its operations up to 2005 accumulates to $1.3 billion " from wikipedia); while it still makes news when Google raises 4-billion) and Google's knowledge.

    • Re:instant karma (Score:2, Interesting)

      by benjamin264 ( 813527 )
      Or repost your comments and see if they get modded the same...

      In any event, I really hope that all of this does generate some positive interest in NASA.
  • Google and NASA in the same /. story! Will they be using linux or some other open source software? If so, then we may have the Perfect /. Story!!

    Hey, if the editors can dupe, why cant I? [slashdot.org]
    • NASA has big archives of space data, and they're only going to get bigger - the next generation of earth observing satellites are expected to generate 4 petabytes/year. That's 4 * 10**15, folks - think 8,000 500 GB drives. Per year. For at least the next ten years. One year is on the order of the size of Google's web cache.

      Current archives are merely huge, and off-the-shelf databases are having trouble indexing it all - I've heard of a database holding just metadata (date/time, geographic extent, data type,
  • GOOGLE/NASA TEAM UP
    SILICON VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, USA
    AP NEWS WIRE
    One of the first fruits of the Google/NASA pairing will be the gShuttle. The existing space shuttle will be modified to store 10x the amount the previous shuttle could (though no details yet from NASA as to why they need that much space and if they'd actually use it). The new shuttle would also bring up paid advertisments based on various criteria, the formula for which Google has not made public. Another gShuttle innovation would be a radically

  • by Ryan Amos ( 16972 ) on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:33PM (#13680057)
    ...next, Google Space!
    • Ya, there's so many possibilities, I can barely contain the excitement:

      • Now we can search the Moon for... traces of the Apollo module, and ... uh?
      • We can search inside Mars for the Beagle crash site, and ... uh?
      • We can search the asteroid belt for... rocks? Irony?
      • We can search Jupiter to see where the Big Red Storm is today?
      • We can search Saturn for... ring composition?
      • We can search inside Neptune for... car keys?
      • We can search inside Ur...

      OK, maybe those of us who haven't lost our moral fib

  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 29, 2005 @05:50PM (#13680177)
    Useless, overweight organisations - combine! Forming NASOOGLE! No wonder Google has managed to make their stock price defy gravity recently. :) I'm sure we'll soon see the other fruits of their work:

    * The Space Shuttle "USS Beta", it sorta works but nobody can be held responsible because it's clearly still being tested. And you want a ride, you have to be invited by someone else who's already an astronaut.

    * "Unintrusive" advertising on all Hubble images. Sure, you get a slightly less useful image (and hey, it's text, so it can't be bad.. right?) - but for some reason you can now never delete any data. Images of Uranus now all have links to toilet humor websites, due to advertisers for whom the joke never seem to get old.

    * Thousands of junker PCs at mission control are running in a cluster - half of them have failed, but who knows which ones? The NASOOGLE Surveyor robots are sent on a 3 year mission to the server room to seek out dead machines. Bonus mission: second robot accidentally enters nerd founder's psyche, discovers their virginity, buried under pile of money and stock certificates. Core sample of founder's brain is unsucessful due to excessive ego field, boosted by recent purchase of a private Boeing 767.

    * Google Maps now randomly delivers distances in Imperial or Metric, without telling you which. It'll crash (into another planet) when asked to be specific.

    * Meanwhile, NASOOGLE tests a new type of spacecraft drive, powered by pure irony emminating from Slashdot posters asserting Google's "do no evil" policy. Point out that the only product Google sells is advertising (since when have advertising companies ever worked in the interest of you, their targets?), view lunatic Google zealots defending Google for being bastion of good, hook web browser up to irony detector, and voila! Sustained spaceflight is achieved, travelling at twice the speed of light.

    I could go on, but I'm bored now. Google and NASA both seem to be waning organisations who haven't really done anything original, worthwhile or exciting in a while. They kind of deserve each other at this point.
  • In related news, the American Writers' Guild has filed a lawsuit to block Google from partnering with NASA.

    A Guild Spokes-Weasel said, "We can't let them do NAYTHING until they resolve their issues with us. If they want to do anything, they have to pay us a licensing fee."
  • Tired of getting screwed by Congress? Tired of being forced to implement 30 year old obsolete and dangerous technology for political reasons? Tired of some pork barrel law that forces your Operation center to locate in hurricane-prone areas?

    Privatize!

    Coming soon: Google buys the education system! No more aguing about whether cavemen rode dinosaurs like horses!
  • The earlier story had a Nasa logo, this one has a Google logo. That makes them completely different stories.
  • Google outta partner with SETI.

    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=space+aliens+ from+alpha+centauri&btnG=Google+Search [google.com]

    Seems a lot simpler than the way we search now.
  • This will enable Slashdot editors to google articles on Slashdot, so they can guarantee a steady flow of dupes.
  • if I didn't screw up occasionally, a lot of angry readers would have no other way to vent their rage in a safe environment.

    fucking fucking dupe!!!! stupid slashdot!!! stupid invalid htmlcode!!!!!!! dupe stories crap editors!!!!!! fucking dupe fucking dupe!!!!!!!12!111M fucking fucking dupe!!!! stupid slashdot!!! stupid invalid htmlcode!!!!!!! dupe stories crap editors!!!!!! fucking dupe fucking dupe!!!!!!!12!111M fucking fucking dupe!!!! stupid slashdot!!! stupid invalid htmlcode!!!!!!! dupe stories crap

  • Naturally, this is right in line with Google's Copernicus initiative [google.com]. I'm sure it will also help their mapping of the moon [google.com]. A big win for Google!

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