spacetoday.net: Poll: British public concerned about US role in space

Posted: Mon, Mar 1, 2004, 7:57 PM ET (0057 GMT)
A poll released Monday found that a majority of the British public felt that the US was more interested in increasing its military presence in space than undertaking new exploration venture. The poll, conducted by MORI for the liberal think tank Demos, found than 68% of those polled thought the US was more interested in the militarization of space instead of exploration, while 66% thought that space should be neutral ground. The poll also found strong enthusiasm for space exploration among Britons aged 16-34, which the poll dubs the "Beagle generation". A majority — 55% — thought the UK should be involved in manned spaceflight ventures while 65% supported robotic space exploration. Despite the failure of Britain's Beagle 2 Mars lander, two-thirds thought the country should mount another mission. The poll was conducted in conjunction with a book about the future of the British space program, "Masters of the Universe", to be published this week.