Lunar Mission One is one step closer to retracing Neil Armstrong’s steps on the moon.
The British-led effort reached its first Kickstarter goal of GBP600,000, which roughly translates to $945,000.
The idea behind Lunar Mission One is to send a robotic probe to the moon that will drill a 100-meter hole into the moon and collect core samples. Scientists will be able to study those samples and hopefully provide a better understanding of what the moon is composed of.
The famous physicist Stephen Hawking was one of the project backers.
“Congratulations to Lunar Mission One and all its backers. Today they have achieved what are the first steps towards a lasting legacy for space exploration,” Hawking said in a statement. “Lunar Mission One is bringing space exploration to the people, and I have no doubt that young people and adults alike will be inspired by the ambition and passion of all those involved in the project. As a truly scientific endeavor, I wish it nothing but success over the coming years.”
The Kickstarter campaign has more than 7,000 backers and it surpassed its goal by GBP57,000 (roughly $89,000). Lunar Mission One promises its sponsors generous gifts, including being part of a digital memory box—time capsule—that will be entombed beneath the moon’s rocky surface.
The digital memory box would include all sorts of things from Earth. Sponsors who donated a certain amount of money are welcomed to submit text messages, photos, videos and even strands of hair so they can be send to the moon.
The robotic probe would plant the capsule after drilling the hole and collecting the lunar samples.
The group of U.K. scientists is hoping to deploy their lunar probe in the next 10 years. In the meantime, they will be trying to gather more funds.
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Twitter:@MrAlexAlba
