Asteroid Miners to Launch World's 1st Crowdfunded Space Telescope

[Buster's Uncle]

Asteroid Miners to Launch World's 1st Crowdfunded Space Telescope
By Clara Moskowitz | SPACE.com – Wed, May 29, 2013..

An artist’s illustration of the Arkyd telescope being developed by asteroid mining firm Planetary Resources, which hopes to launch one Arkyd as a crowdfunded instrument meant to serve the public.


This infographic explains Planetary Resources’ plan to launch a crowdfunded space telescope to be used by the public to study space.

 
A private company that plans to mine asteroids unveiled a new venture today (May 29), an ambitious plan to launch the world's first crowdfunded telescope.

The company, Planetary Resources, is developing a suite of spacecraft, dubbed Arkyd, to study solar-system asteroids as a precursor to mining missions. Now, the firm has launched a crowdfunding campaign to make an Arkyd available for the public's use. Students, scientists and interested citizens would be able to direct this space telescope toward any space objects they wished.

"We're very excited to bring this out and make the opportunity available for everyone who's interested in it," said Chris Lewicki, Planetary Resources’ president and chief engineer. "We've got people — educators, science groups, researchers — who are all very excited for it."


Mining space rocks

In April 2012, Planetary Resources announced its plans to mine near-Earth asteroids for precious metals and water that could be useful for both deep-space missions and projects back on Earth. The company has some high-profile backers, including filmmaker James Cameron and Google co-founder Larry Page, but officials said they were surprised by the level of interest from the public.

"I thought we would have interest from people who follow this stuff on a regular basis, but the reach we've had is so far beyond our expectations that it really gives me hope for the future," Lewicki told SPACE.com. It was soon after seeing that reaction that company officials began devising a way to get the public involved.

Now, the firm is launching a Kickstarter campaign, which will run for 33 days, to raise $1 million. Though that total wouldn't fully fund the construction and launch of a public-use Arkyd, the money would mean there was an "appropriate level of interest" among the public for the project to go forward, and Planetary Resources would cover the extra costs.

"We'll have a number of these spacecraft on orbit, and how much gets used for our work on asteroids is really dependent on the level of interest that people have to explore," Lewicki said. "We'll be able to dedicate the better part of one spacecraft for this, and if there's so much interest, we'll build more. We're building a production line of this technology."


Space selfies

Those who donate to the Kickstarter campaign can choose from a range of rewards. For a $25 donation, backers can submit a photo of themselves — or of anything they want — to be uploaded to a screen on the telescope. A camera mounted on the spacecraft will then take a "space selfie" of the person's photo against the backdrop of the telescope orbiting in space.

"The campaign will allow everyone to have this experience, and take a picture that means something to them," Lewicki said. "It really personalizes that moment for them."

At higher pledge levels, $99 buys students or scientists five minutes of observation time on the Arkyd's main optic system and the opportunity to contribute to a science research project. For $150, backers can point the telescope at any celestial object of their choice, other than the sun, and receive a digital copy of the photo it takes.

There are larger packages available for K-12 schools, universities and museums that opt for time on the telescope, as well as "space selfies," educational posters and other teaching resources. These packages start at $1,750.



Important science

And citizen scientists have a real opportunity to make significant scientific discoveries with the instrument, experts say.

"Not only does the telescope have the technical capability to increase our understanding of space, but it can be placed in orbit for an incredibly low cost," said MIT planetary scientist Sara Seager, a Planetary Resources adviser. "That is an economic breakthrough that will accelerate space-based research now and in the future."

The venture is all part of Planetary Resources' larger campaign to make space the purview of not just the government, but the commercial sector and everyday citizens.

"In the last 50 years, space exploration has been led by national governmental agencies with their own set of priorities, and now we're changing the nature of exploration," Planetary Resources co-founder and co-chairman Peter Diamandis said in a statement. "We're developing the most advanced space technology ever made available to the public."

To learn more about the Planetary Resources crowdfunding campaign visit: ARKYD: A Space Telescope for Everyone

http://news.yahoo.com/asteroid-miners-launch-worlds-1st-crowdfunded-space-telescope-171403477.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Space Telescope Crowdfunding Project Raises Over $200,000 on First Day
By Clara Moskowitz | SPACE.com – Thu, May 30, 2013..

 
This story was updated on May 30 at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

A commercial asteroid-mining company aiming to launch a crowdfunded space telescope raised more than $200,000 on the first day of its campaign.

Planetary Resources, a private venture aiming to mine near-Earth space rocks for water, minerals and other resources, announced Wednesday (May 29) that it would build and launch a space telescope for public use if it could raise at least $1 million in 33 days.

The telescope will be a twin copy of the Arkyd spacecraft the company is developing to detect, track and study asteroids in preparation for its mining mission. A test version of the spacecraft is set for its maiden trial flight in April 2014, while the crowdfunded model would launch in early 2015.

The spacecraft's public backers would use it to study celestial objects of their choice. They would also have the option of sponsoring research projects at schools, universities or museums that could use the instrument.

"For me, that's the single most exciting part of this, that it will be available to science classrooms, to astronomy classrooms, and kids will be able to do deep space exploration on this telescope on par with what's being done by NASA and other organizations that control all of the satellites," Brent Spiner, the actor who played Data on the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" television series, said during a webcast to raise funds for the project Wednesday night. "This one will belong to the people."

The project is part of Planetary Resources' plan to make space more accessible to average people, its officials said.

"I am here to represent the sci-fi crowd, and the line between sci-fi and reality is blurring more and more as time goes on and I think that's what really exciting about this," Spiner said.

Planetary Resources is developing an interface to serve a variety of users, from scientists to kindergarten students.

"If you're a beginner, an 8-year-old, and you want to take a picture of Mars, you'll be able to do it, "Planetary Resources co-founder and co-chairman Peter Diamandis said Wednesday during a press event at the Seattle Museum of Flight announcing the campaign."It'll be easy and appropriate for the level of user."

The telescope will also take "space selfies" — self portraits that show the telescope in orbit, with a user-submitted photo displayed on the instrument's screen. A camera mounted on the hull of the spacecraft will snap the photo. Already more than 200 backers have ordered selfies for $25 and above.

"We are putting a webcam on the shoulder of Christopher Columbus as he explored the New World," said Planetary Resources co-founder and co-chairman Eric Anderson. "You are literally going to have the chance to see and feel and listen to what it's like to explore the solar system."

The crowdfunding project, hosted on the Kickstarter website, came about as a way to involve the public in Planetary Resources' mission, which has garnered enthusiastic public support since its announcement in April 2012, its founders said."When we announced the company last April, we really were blown away by the level of interest and excitement," Diamandis said."We were not ready for it."

The company has grand plans for public engagement, beyond the space telescope. "In the future, we're going to be looking at using this crowd that we're developing to help us do data analysis of asteroids, help us develop crowd-sourced software, and even hardware," Diamandis said."Our goal is to democratize the access to space."

But if the crowdfunding campaign fails to reach its $1 million goal by June 30, the company will receive none of the money it has raised.

"All of you out there who believe in this, you've got to put your money where your mouth is," Anderson said. "You've got to help us out,".

To learn more about the Planetary Resources crowdfunding campaign, visit its Kickstarter page here: ARKYD: A Space Telescope for Everyone.

http://news.yahoo.com/space-telescope-crowdfunding-project-raises-over-200-000-135128983.html

[Geo]

Bloody hell, this thing is already 60% funded on its second day! 

[Green1]

About time they got serious about this stuff.

Although I will start believing more when I see something on an asteroid and help wanted ads for common folks for the aerospace industry that do not require 4 PhDs and spotless history OR filthy rich.

[Geo]

Looks like the initial momentum is out of this kickstarter: three quarters funded sofar. Still, they got 25 more days to make it.

[Green1]

Looks like the initial momentum is out of this kickstarter: three quarters funded sofar. Still, they got 25 more days to make it.

Last Planetary Society podcast hyped this thing up. With science powerhouses like Bill Nye behind it, this is going to take off quickly.

Thing about it that is not readily apparent is the company is going to launch several of these for a fraction of the cost NASA can. My only concern is they are going to "piggyback" these on Dragon/ SpaceX missions. I really do not think piggybacks have a good success rate yet. Remember the piggyback on the first Dragon/COTS ISS resupply? Phobos-Grunt?