Google guys fork over pocket change to land at NASA airfield

It's great to be rich.

I've decided that since Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin are paying $1.3 million annually, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, to NASA to be able to land their uber-luxe Boeing 767 at the space agency's airfield near Mountain View, Calif., I'm going to reach into my own deep pockets so I can land my plane there.

Oh, I'll also agree to carry "scientific equipment" for the agency on my plane, and in return for that favor and paying out the rounding error on my fortune, I hope that NASA will grant me the same privilege that it has given Page and Brin.

This situation is turning out to be a joke. Was it just that Page and Brin were the first to figure out a way to get NASA to let them land their plane at Moffett Federal Airfield, which is otherwise closed to private traffic, but is extremely close to Google's headquarters? After all, sometimes all it takes is figuring out how to ask for something.

But the joke here is the money the two are paying the agency. Seriously. I mean, how many people in Silicon Valley have private planes and could easily part with $1.3 million for the right to use a lightly trafficked runway that's close to home? Well, it's probably not in the thousands, but I bet it's in the hundreds.

And given how bad highway traffic can be on Highway 101, the main artery through Silicon Valley, I bet that most of those people would also be willing to give up a little space on their plane to carry the unspecified scientific equipment so that they could avoid having to deal with the inconvenience of driving in and out of San Jose's international airport.

So, given all that, how is NASA going to make up its mind about which tycoons get to use its runway? Whatever method they choose, I hope they'll pick me.

[w9lvm]

Google using TAXPAYERS airport

Hello Google! Go build your own airport! This was paid for by my taxpayers money and you do not have the right to use MY AIRPORT if if you pay! Google the company that limits what CHINA can see on their computers! UN-AMERICAN THEY ARE!

[ajs_news]

tax supported airport

The article does say they pay $1.3 million/year for the right to land the plane. Oh, and don't worry, your tax dollars help pay for nearly all the airports that private jets use as well as the air traffic control for them etc.

[MaLvaDo39]

Why can't they land there?

So what if its taxpayer's money?
Get use out of runway and create income for the space agency.
Seems win-win to me.

Googles lack of thriftiness is another matter.

[appledogx--2008]

They pay, we win

Frankly, I'll bet the 1.3 million dollars looks good to NASA, and
hauling some scientific stuff for them? Why not.

If they have the cash and help NASA, I haven't got a problem with
it. If more people with that kind of money did things like that,
NASA would be able to do a lot more. Technological developments
due to NASA programs help the entire world. I wish I had an airport
big enough for their 767. :-)

[~Canuck~]

They're helping your taxes

Maybe your taxes helped build what is essentially a private, government airport.

Google, however, is paying $1.3 million to land a plane with scientific equipment for NASA. So, NASA gets data, and "your airport" is actually Google's too.

And I'm sure that their $1.3 million is a whole lot more than you ever paid in your taxes for the airport.

[Wind_Freak]

china

Everyone already said it about Google paying to use it.

As for the filtering of the inernet that is a call by the government.
If google opened it up then google would be filtered from the china
internet.

If you got a gripe with that I encourage you to fly to china and let
their government know directly. Please make sure you are on
China's soil when you do this for our own benifit here.

[Hardrada]

Airfield funding troubles

The article failed to mention that NASA some trouble with the facilities in the airport having asbestos contamination. This deal would give some much needed money to NASA, an organization that the folks at Washington don't think its important enought to spend taxpayer money on

[lmasanti]

How much it cost in other places?

A better article (it seems to be a yellow rehash of other news)
would include --at least-- a comparison on how much it cost to
park a 767 in other --similar sized-- airports.
A better article would also avoid the non-sense (in this article)
comments on Highway 101... if they own that plane, they can go
in helicopter to the airfield (cheaper change).
Although of not too much importance, I read that they bought the
plane "second hand". Nobody told me if it was bought at eBay!

[ittesi259]

The 101 comment was important

The gridlock their made a point that driving is just too inconvienient. And the article should make it obvious they don't care about other locations as the NASA facility is very close to their headquarters.....

[drjoe047]

FIRST, NASA & Google

I think it is likely that FIRST (usfirst.org), the inspirational robotic competition started by Segway inventor, Dean Kamen, is a factor in the Google/NASA connection.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin are big supporters of FIRST and have each spoken at the FIRST Championships in Atlanta.

Who is the largest sponsor of FIRST -- NASA.

I can easily imagine the Google Boys and some shooters from NASA were having dinner at Dean's house/mansion one evening talking about FIRST robotics when the subject of Moffit came up... ...the rest is in the papers...

[beubanks7507]

It really doesn't matter

This is one of those benign things that everyone wants to make a
huge deal out of. Honestly, if the airfield is relatively unused and
the Space Agency can pay for the field by letting private planes
land there then why not. This is a smart move on the agency's part
given that their budget has been under scrutiny in the last couple
of years. I wish more of this stuff would happen because then we
wouldn't have to pay as much in taxes. More productivity for
business, less taxes for me....... I call that a win.

[SeizeCTRL]

Insane

I would imagine that they could buy up a nice plot of land and build their own airstrip... but I guess this also helps out NASA as well.

[BentonBear]

Steve Jobs next

Will the iJet be next?