I've noticed some novel ideas for getting the general public interested in space exploration again. I grew up the 60's and watched the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs unfold on TV. I saw how those exploits fascinated our country, and that successful effort to land a man on the moon is what got me interested in aerospace engineering.  Unfortunately people today seem pretty blase about space exploration. I think the recent efforts by the X Prize Foundation are going a long way to getting folks excited about space again. Having kick-started the private space race with the awarding of the Ansari Prize for the first privately-funded sub-orbital flight, the X Prize Foundation is now co-sponsoring the Lunar X Prize with search engine giant Google. The goal is to award $20 million to the first privately funded team that can design and build a spacecraft that performs a soft landing on the moon by then end of 2012. But just successfully landing isn't the end of the mission. To claim the $20M, the lander must then roam at least 500 meters from the touchdown site, and also have the capability to broadcast pictures of the lunar surface back to earth. Not an easy task, for sure, especially with only about 5 years to accomplish it. However, in my estimation it is possible, especially with the recent advancements in robotics and the possibility of some privately-funded launch systems emerging in the next few years.

Now the average Joe Public is probably not going to actively participate on one of the teams competing for the Lunar X Prize, but they can still get involved by having a picture and message carried to the moon on one of the entrants spacecraft.  For a mere $10, you can submit a digital picture and accompanying message at the Lunar Legacy web site. Your entry will be burned on a DVD and carried to the moon on one of the entrant's spacecraft. Also, some of the pictures and messages will be selected to be broadcast back to earth. The X Prize Foundation states that half of your $10 will go towards the competing teams to help them develop their entries, and the other half will be used for educational outreach programs. Pretty cool:  a simple, inexpensive way for the public to feel they are actively involved in the  excitement of space exploration again.  A similar let's-get-the-public-involved program has already been successfully carried out by Bigelow Aerospace.  Bigelow is a privately-funded company that has developed and launched two unmanned expandable/inflatable space modules. In a program called "Fly Your Stuff", for $300 a person could submit a small, personal item to be flown in Bigelow's second prototype module, Genesis II.  This module was successfully launched in June 2007, and by early July it was beaming back still and video pictures of the personal items floating around inside the fully expanded module. Once again, a clever way to let the public feel they are part of something groundbreaking when it comes to exploring space.

As part of this discussion, I should also mention that the efforts of Bigelow Aerospace and the X Prize Foundation are legitimate, exciting ways to engage the public's interest in space. Unlike recent efforts by scam artists to sell plots of lunar acreage, or "Star Registries" which claim to officially name a star after you. Of course none of these companies and their claims are recognized by any of the professional international astronomical organizations, so buyer beware. You are really just buying a novelty item with no worth whatsoever.