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Last week's poll: Crowdfunding in space

LunarMissionOne has launched as a UK-based effort to land a geological investigation probe on the moon, using the Kickstarter crowdfunding website. What are the advantages of funding the mission in this way?

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We saw a very even spread of opinion among the 212 respondents to last week’s poll, with those believing crowdfunding could relieve the burden of space science from taxpayers so that only those who were interested would pay for it coming out as the most popular choice by a small margin, with 24 per cent of respondents. Two options tied for second place with 20 per cent: the idea crowdfunding gave a sense of ownership of the project and that rewards for funders made people feel involved in space. Those opposed to crowdfunding were in the minority; 15 per cent thought that space science has benefits for everyone and should be funded accordingly; 11 per cent thought crowdfunding devalued space by giving the impression it wasn’t needed; and 10 per cent declined to pick a response.