Google Building R&D Center at NASA’s Ames Research Center
Google and NASA have announced their plans to collaborate on a number of technology-focused research-and-development activities at the newly planned Google SpacePlex in Silicon Valley’s NASA Ames Research Center. Now Google will have an excellent spot for their ever growing number of employees to work. With 701 employees hired in the second quarter of this year, and 4,180 total employees under their belt, Google should have no problem filling the 1 million square feet of prime locale office space.
NASA and Google are planning to work together on a variety of areas, including large-scale data management, massively distributed computing, bio-info-nano convergence, and encouragement of the entrepreneurial space industry. The new Google SpacePlex (no that is not the official name) will include labs, offices, and housing for Google engineers. Google’s connections with NASA before the annoucnement include the hiring of Vint Cerf, Father of the Internet, and Nasa insider who has been working on NASA’s Interplanetary Network.
“Google and NASA share a common desire-to bring a universe of information to people around the world,” said Eric Schmidt, Google chief executive officer. “Imagine having a wide selection of images from the Apollo space mission at your fingertips whenever you want it. That’s just one small example of how this collaboration could help broaden technology’s role in making the world a better place.”
Despite the magnificient news of Google working hand in hand with the US Space Program (any big GSA contracts yet?), do not be led to believe by those silly Google Copernicus Center or Space Elevator stories (well, plans) that Google is the only company which is going to be performing R&D at the Ames Research Center. From NASA : NASA Research Park is being developed into a world-class, shared-use educational and R&D campus. As part of a comprehensive plan for this area, new laboratories, offices, classrooms, housing, auditoriums, museums, a training and conference center, open space, parking and limited retail facilities are envisioned. The plan calls for NASA to partner with local communities, academia, private industry, non-profit organizations and other government agencies in support of NASA’s mission to conduct research and develop new technologies. Google is just the first private industry to announce building its new ‘incubator’ R&D center (and yes, this is a very large R&D Center) on US Government property. Godspeed to Google, may it be a successful venture!
