While many Americans chase millionaire status by "sitting with lotto tickets" and "giving their cash to casinos" (which at least gets us out of the house), some make their money by being out of this world awesome.  The 2009 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander competition has been completed, awarding two million dollars to the winners – and advancing extraterrestrial science in the process.

The competition was to build a prototype lunar lander which could take off, hover, land on a bullseye and make a return trip – all inside a time limit, automated, and without assistance (because it’ll be quite hard to get out and repair it on the moon).  Two teams completed the Level 2 challenge, thrusting through the air for three minutes before landing on a rocky surface within one meter of the target point.  You’re not that good with a football, never mind building and coding an off-world roboprobe.

Masten Space Systems took away a solid million bucks, with second placed Armadillo Aerospace cleaning up with five hundred thousand (the rest of the money going to other Level 1 entrants who managed a minute and a half in the air). …

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