Penn State Turns To Crowdfunding To Send A Spacecraft To The Moon


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Space travel is something that's usually reserved for government agencies with a lot of money to burn. SpaceX proved that private industry can do it too though with a little help from investors and its own deep pockets. Now Penn State University wants to do the same, but it's looking to all of us for help.

Penn State University's Lunar Lion team wants to send a lander to the moon. If successful, they would be the first university, and only the fourth team, to land a spacecraft on the moon. To realize their goals, they need funding.

The Lunar Lion team has taken to RocketHub to crowdfund their mission to the moon. They're looking for $406,536 to fund the project of which they have already raised $22,794. With 34 days left, the team has plenty of time to reach their goal and become the first university to land on the moon.

Why should you want to support such an endeavor? Well, have you ever wanted to go to space? By supporting the Lunar Lion team, you can send a digital tweet or message to the moon with the lander and have it transmitted back to Earth for only $25. For $50, the team will let you transmit a six second voice message from the moon.

For those willing to shell out $100 or more, you can get some really cool stuff. For $100, you can have a 140 character message stored in a time capsule that will be sent up to the moon with the lander. For only $1 more, you can send as many 140 character messages to the moon as you want.

The Lunar Lion crowdfunding campaign will end on February 25. If successful, Penn State will go down in the history books for space travel and crowdfunding.

Image via Penn State Lunar Lion XPRIZE Team/YouTube