What’s The Future Of Space Exploration? Here’s What Americans Think.

Thanks to new technology and some serious investments by some of the world’s wealthiest individuals, we’re all currently living through what appears to be the second international space race.

Private and public companies worldwide are planning new missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond … but it’s still not clear where this extraterrestrial industry will lead humanity.

So let’s find out how ordinary Americans believe the future of space travel will play out.

A finger on the pulse

The gist of a recent Pew Research poll confirms that a majority of Americans are bullish about the scope of space travel within the next few years and decades. Most of those surveyed also believe that the United States will be a major part of that success

Here are a few key statistics:

• More than two-thirds believe America must be a leader in the future of space exploration.
• A clear majority say NASA needs to maintain a central role even as private companies gain traction.
• 55% say space tourism will take off in the near future, but only 35% want to take the trip.

While it’s clear that NASA and U.S. firms like SpaceX are gaining a lot of the attention, it’s worth noting that China, India, and many other nations are ramping up their own programs.

What could go wrong?

In addition to capturing the optimism of Americans regarding a space-centered future, the poll also gauged some concerns. For example, more Americans think private companies are doing a “mostly bad” job addressing space debris than say they are doing a “mostly good” job.

Of course, it’s worth noting that a whopping 53% of those surveyed say they’re not sure.

Nevertheless, nearly 7 in 10 Americans think debris will become a major problem over the course of the next half century.

Chris Agee July 24th, 2023

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