阅读理解 Exploring space is a dream shared by many people, but few have ever experienced the thrill of space adventure．A few years ago, that field was open only to those who worked for NASA or the space programs of other nations．But now private companies are getting into the space race． Google and the X PRIZE Foundation have joined forces to challenge ordinary people to explore the moon．The first team that successfully soft-lands a robotic rover(天体登陆车)on the moon will receive a ＄20 million prize．The second team to touch down on the moon will win ＄5 million．Teams can also win an additional ＄5 million in bonus prizes for completing tasks such as discovering water ice． To win, contestants(竞赛者)must land their craft on the surface of the moon and let it roam for more than 500 meters, or 1.640 feet．The craft must also send video and Internet clips(片断)back to Earth in real time． Google and the X PRIZE Foundation announced the competition on September 13,2007．“The Google Lunar X Prize calls on entrepreneurs(企业家), and engineers from around the world to return us to the lunar surface and explore this environment for the benefit of all humanity,”said Peter H．Diamandis, the head of the foundation, when the contest was announced．“We hope to bring this historic private space race into every home and classroom,”he added． Teams are already gathering at the first commercial spaceport in the Mojave Dessert in California to work on their spaceship designs．Contestants have until December 31, 2012 to qualify(取得资格)for the contest, which expires in 2014．The last time humans went to the moon， the voyage inspired a generation of scientists and explorers．Google and the X PRIZE Foundation are hoping that their contest will get even more people to reach for the moon, the stars and beyond． | 
