These Two Kickstarter Projects are Aiming for the Stars

Kickstarter is an incredible funding resource for the masses. With so many projects posted almost daily, it’s easy to find something worth throwing a few coins towards, especially when the projects involve space travel.   Talk above bragging rights. The lack of gravity, the views; but the price tag is a just a bit out of my budget at the moment (here’s the only private way to get there). Here are a few projects that may not get me there, but at least it’s a step closer to the great expanse.

1. Mission Space by Alex McFarlane – This project will send a weather balloon up to the edge of space and take pictures to prove it. The science teacher plans to fully equip a balloon to climb to over 90k ft. and capture the views that on 564 people in history have taken in for themselves. While it’s already fully funded, there are still a few days to get in on the benefits for just a few bucks.

2. KickSat by Zachary Manchester – If looking at pictures isn’t really your style, this project will allow you to send up a one-of-a-kind personal satellite (called a Sprite) to orbit the earth.  While sprites currently will only be able to report back that they’re up there orbiting, in the future they can be equipped with sensors, cameras, and whatever other devious contraptions you can think of (as long as it fits on a chip the size of a postage stamp). This project is over double the original funding ask, and it’s been closed for a while now so for now you’ve missed your opportunity to say “you see up there, that’s my postage stamp floating by”.

While space travel is still far far away for the average man, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic are very involved in building a business where commercial travel may actually start to make economic (think affordable) sense. If you find yourself staring up into the night sky often, take a look at their programs to dump a bit of gasoline on those star studded dreams.