Why is Dynetics going after the Google Lunar X PRIZE?

Dynetics going after the Google Lunar X Prize Video

Tim Pickens asks Tom Baumbach: "Why is Dynetics going after the Google Prize?"

Tim:  Well, Tom, after being in this (competition) after a few weeks now, I’ve got folks asking me, “Why is Dynetics going after the Google Prize? Why are we putting together this corporate team?” After thirty-five years in the business in doing a lot of Defense work, what is your interest here and why do you think you can do this?

Tom: Well, you know I'm a product of the Cold War. I saw my first satellite, the ECHO satellite, as a small boy in a cul de sac and ever since that time, I've had a burning desire to put something in space; something that I would have a part of. Of course, we’re doing that in satellite. FASTSAT goes up next month. But as you guys brought forward this concept of going back to the Moon, the more I thought about it…
I can remember sitting on a couch watching Neil Armstrong get on the Moon. I mean to this day it moves me. I think we did some studies of where we can grow as a company, and how we can keep the passion alive and our people. That's really what keeps people going. We're not going to keep the intellectual talent if they don't enjoy and feel really passionate about their work. And since we made this announcement, it is coming out in spades in our employees. The thing that enabled that was the business plan you and Steve put together. If you remember, you came in here, presented that to me, and and I kinda said, “Well, geez, that’s a great idea, but you know we got to make money out of this thing.” So then when you put a team together and the folks we get on that (team), I just think we've got a powerhouse here and you know in my wildest imagination we're going to be like the East India Company was. We’re going to be some of the first to begin using it and bringing resources from the Moon here on Earth. And we’re going to take some riders with it. Kinda perhaps like they did. They take people to the New World and bring back new things with them. I think the time is right.

Tim: Well, that’s cool. That’s why I wanted to be here and when I saw that you guys were building satellites and were serious about space, that's what made me want to be here and sell Orion (Propulsion) to this company. I wanted to be part of this. It is clear to me that you guys are making serious investments and you wanted to go conquer space. There was no other company in this town that is committed to that. Everyone wants to do business as usual and think small and you know, I don't see that. I only wanted to see real serious hardware.

Tom: (We made) very strategic decisions several years ago and we’d been following that plan – getting the horses like you that can carry this off. We’re gonna have fun!

Inspiring Quotes

"Why is Dynetics going after the Google Lunar X Prize?" - We're not going to keep the intellectual talent if they don't enjoy and feel really passionate about their work, and since we made this announcement, it is coming out in spades in our employees. - Tom Baumbach

"Why is Dynetics going after the Google Lunar X Prize?" - I had a burning desire to put something in space; something that I would have a part of. - Tom Baumbach

 

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