Public space scope

摘要

Space sells. Within a week of announcing it would build the world's first crowdfunded space telescope, the company behind the scheme had raised more than $700,000 of its $1 million target. On 29 May, Planetary Resources, a space-mining firm in Bellevue, Washington, began an online fundraising campaign for its Arkyd observatory, to launch in 2015. Backers who give $200 will get a half-hour slot to snap an object of their choice, with 5-minute slots donated to students or scientists for $99. There's also the option to beam a photo of someone to Arkyd and use it to take a photo of them 'in space'.