After a lengthy hiatus, humans have turned their attention back to the Moon, but this time with a modern twist – Kickstarter. That’s right, the Brits are attempting to fund a mission to the Moon the same way that guy you know funded his mediocre EP.
Lunar Mission One, the terrific name for the British lead mission, plans on raising £500 million via public donations in order to land a robotic probe on the Moon. The probe would explore the South Pole of the Moon to determine if a human base could be set up in the future.
Like most Kickstarter campaigns, Lunar Mission One is providing incentives to those who donate to their cause. David Iron, the project lead, said that “Anyone in the world will be able to get involved for as little as just a few pounds. Lunar Mission One will make a huge contribution to our understanding of the origins of our planet and the Moon.” Those who donate will be able to have everything from text and photos to DNA sent to the Moon. For a few pounds you can send a text message to the moon, for a little more you can send a compressed photo. A short video will be about £200, while a strand of your hair (for DNA purposes) will only set you back about £50 (the downside to sending DNA is that it will inevitably be used by the Alien overlords when they discover Lunar Mission One, which will also contain a digital archive of human history and science).
The first phase of the four year fundraising campaign hopes to raise £600,000 via Kickstarter over the next few weeks in order to fund the initial phase of the project.
With most governments cutting space exploration funds, Kickstarter might just set a new and exciting course for discovering the Final Frontier, while also inspiring a new generation of youngsters to look to the stars. Lunar Mission One plans for the lander to reach the Moon’s South Pole by 2024.
If you’re interested in knowing more about the project, you can check out the Kickstarter campaign by clicking the link below.