

Google Takes Over Operations of Moffett Airfield from NASA - mtviewdave
http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/10/google-moffett-airfield-nasa/

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joshAg
Does Moffit still remain a federal airfield that defense companies can ship
sensitive cargo out of?

"Celli says his company ships satellites out of Moffett up to 12 times a year,
and not being able to do so would mean a 160-mile trip to McClellan Air Force
base, requiring 'cumbersome' and 'unsafe' travel down roads at night requiring
special permits."

"Similar concerns are expressed by John Maguire, executive vice president of
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. ... 'We have conducted a preliminary
analysis considering a variety of facilities in the region, and have concluded
that no single or combination of options provides a viable alternative to
Moffett Field without adding material risk and cost to these critical
programs,' Maguire writes. "

-[http://www.mv-voice.com/news/2012/05/22/concerns-about-job-l...](http://www.mv-voice.com/news/2012/05/22/concerns-about-job-losses-national-security)

Supposedly traveling to mcclellan would involve a literal armed convoy escort
by National Guard or active duty troops, but i don't have anything I can quote
to back that up.

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wpietri
Driving down that way, I always had a "Yay NASA!" moment when I went by the
field. Somehow, "Yay corporate jets!" is not quite the same for me.

They do talk about doing emerging tech research there, so I'll try to remain
hopeful until I see what actually goes on there.

~~~
waterlesscloud
Hey, maybe they'll be launching googledrones from there too.

~~~
neurotech1
FAA rules require remote control aircraft operators to get permission from the
airfield operator if within 3 miles of the airfield. Google could ask
permission from themselves.

Google may still require FAA authorization for the drone flights as the FAA
might not consider them "model aircraft"

~~~
jedmeyers
Moffet airspace is congested for everyday drone operations. It practically
shares class D airspace with Palo Alto airport and there is class C airspace
for San Jose International right above it.

~~~
neurotech1
The 3 mile rule for model aircraft applies below 400 ft AGL only. I was
thinking about small drones staying low.

GA Aircraft are restricted from flying below 1000 ft over populated areas
except when taking off and landing.

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mrshoe
None of the articles I've read about this answer the one question that matters
to me:

Will I be able to land (and base) my plane at Google-run Moffett Field?

~~~
ChuckMcM
No.

A while ago folks tried to have the airfield re-classified for general
aviation (GA) and met a lot of resistance from the communities around the
field. It failed, as I recall, in at least three ballot measures. So it
continues to operate as a 'private' airfield and you can only land with
permission of the owner, or in the event of a declared emergency.

That said, the more interesting question is whether or not Google will build
their 'urban support area' which was basically code for providing housing for
visiting employees (in the truest of 'company town' sort of ways.) A number of
people spend significant time working for Google as 'visiting experts' (think
professors on sabbatical) and that effort is hindered by the challenges of
finding a nice place to stay, except there is housing for a few thousand
people already at the airfield (formerly 'base housing') which could be
repurposed for that.

Of course if they do that, then there will be a large inflated Google ball
that will chase you down and smother you if you try to leave :-)

~~~
ntucker
> A number of people spend significant time working for Google as 'visiting
> experts' (think professors on sabbatical) and that effort is hindered by the
> challenges of finding a nice place to stay, except there is housing for a
> few thousand people already at the airfield (formerly 'base housing') which
> could be repurposed for that.

I lived in that housing for about 5 years as a kid. I have lots of memories of
the base (Hangar one, the movie theater, Baskin-Robbins, the community pool,
McDonald's, the pea patches behind the housing), particularly since, as a Navy
brat, that was one of the few places I lived for more than a year or two in my
entire childhood. I like the idea of going on a trip to Google for some reason
and being put up in the same townhouse I lived in then, or one of my friends'
houses.

~~~
redwood
Remember the insane planes they flew on the early nineties? I have done crazy
almost sci-fi memories from my childhood, admittedly some probably exaggerated
by imagination of that age.

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Animats
This is _after_ they already built the Google private air terminal at SJC.
([http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewstibbe/2013/05/06/googles...](http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewstibbe/2013/05/06/googles-
shiny-new-82-million-airport-terminal-in-silicon-valley/)) (Will Air Force One
will still be allowed to land at Moffett? That's where the President usually
lands when traveling to Silicon Valley.)

This sort of corporate excess is usually viewed as a sell signal. Google's
profit margin has been declining recently; the last quarter was the second
worst in five years.
([http://ycharts.com/companies/GOOG/profit_margin](http://ycharts.com/companies/GOOG/profit_margin)).
Google's stock price has leveled off. Google isn't in trouble yet, but,
despite major efforts, it's never been able to develop a significant source of
revenue other than ads.

~~~
simula67
> it's never been able to develop a significant source of revenue other than
> ads.

And Microsoft hasn't been able to develop a significant source of revenue
other than selling technology.

Google's ad revenue comes from a variety of products.

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dsl
I wonder what will happen to the California Air National Guard and Army
Reserve units at Moffett?

~~~
ScottBurson
I would guess those will stay, though I don't really know. They just spent the
last couple of years building a building for the Guardian Angels -- I can see
it out the window of my office across the street. It would be a little odd to
abandon it.

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us0r
Is this actually "Google" or their executives holding company? While I don't
doubt Google will use the space, it does not appear this is a Google deal.

The official news release does not make any mention of Google[0]. Planetary
Ventures, LLC was formed in 2007 and a recent (2013) WSJ article does not list
it[1].

[0] -
[http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/186071](http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/186071)
[1] - [http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/05/23/googles-long-
list-o...](http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/05/23/googles-long-list-of-
subsidiaries-gets-much-shorter/)

------
bagels
Surely there is some bribery going on here for Google to repeatedly get so
many exclusive perks from Moffet.

Google gets discounted fuel from Moffet, paid for by taxpayers:

[http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/google-
executives-g...](http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/google-executives-
got-discounts-from-government-on-fuel-for-private-aircraft/)

Google executives get exclusive rights to fly their private jets from Moffet
for personal trips:

[http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/tech/150386125.html](http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/tech/150386125.html)

~~~
ghshephard
Exclusive Perks? My understanding is that Google was paying a lot of money for
those things. Do you have any evidence that suggests otherwise?

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akurilin
Wonder if this will have any effect on the CMU campus there. That was a really
unique place to go to school to. Maybe they can collaborate somehow?

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welder
Looks like Google X has a new home.

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melling
I really don't have an opinion on this one but when I see statements like this
from the government "while reducing the government agency’s maintenance and
operation costs by $6.3 million annually", I can't help but think that's
meaningless when you've got an $18 trillion deficit.

We could've cured cancer, gone the Mars, developed hypersonic flight, and
probably about a dozen other projects that would have had a huge impact. The
interest alone is 10x bigger than NASA's budget.

~~~
exacube
The US has poured tens of billions into cancer research, and much more
globally.. is money really the biggest limiting factor?

~~~
ghshephard
Keeping in mind, that compared to the scope of the problem, over 500,000
americans year die of Cancer, our investment has been miniscule.

Compare this to EBola, which, even liberal estimates suggest we won't see more
than 100 fatalities/year in the United States, and America has invested
$1Billion.

Cancer is a multi-trillion dollar problem - but the technology required to
effectively combat it (nanobots, protein folding technology, targeted
molecules, rapid-dynamic DNA assessment) is still many decades in the future.

Of course, doing the basic research to develop those technologies is going to
cost a lot of money as well. But the difference is, unlike many human maladies
(Old Age) Cancer has a pretty well defined solution, we (perhaps
appropriately) just haven't invested enough time and resources to deliver that
solution yet.

