Jul 20, 2019

Poll: The Moon is a young person's game

Data: SurveyMonkey online poll of 2,620 adults conducted July 3–7, 2019, with a margin of error of ±2.5 percentage points; Poll methodology; Chart: Harry Stevens/Axios

While most Americans think the U.S. should be a global leader in space exploration, many remain hesitant about visiting, living on and working on the Moon.

By the numbers: Younger adults are far more interested in visiting the Moon as tourists compared to older adults. 65% of adults 18–24 years old would visit the Moon if money were not a factor, compared to just 25% of those 65 and older, according to an Axios-SurveyMonkey poll. By contrast, American adults across all generations are reluctant about living and working on the Moon, if settlements were established there.

Methodology: These data are from a SurveyMonkey online poll conducted among adults ages 18 and older in the United States. Respondents were selected from the more than 2 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. Data have been weighted for age, race, sex, education, and geography using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States age 18 and over. The survey was conducted July 3-7, 2019 among 2,620 adults. The modeled error estimate for the full sample is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points and full crosstabs are available here.

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Rebecca Falconer

Pence: NASA ready for final preparations for U.S. manned Moon mission

Photo: Alastair Pike/AFP/Getty Images

Vice President Mike Pence said at Kennedy Space Center Saturday that NASA's Orion capsule is "ready to begin preparations for its historic first flight" to take American astronauts back to the Moon.

What he's saying: "America will return to the Moon within the next 5 years and the next man and the first woman on the Moon will be American astronauts,” Pence said at the event on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, alongside Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. "We’re going back."

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Keep ReadingJul 21, 2019

Harry Stevens

All the Moon landings, from Luna to Apollo to Chang'e

Data: Axios research; Graphic: Harry Stevens/Axios

Humans have successfully landed 20 crewed and uncrewed missions on the Moon’s surface, with more to come.

The big picture: More and more nations are shooting for the Moon, with India aiming to send a lander and rover there next week.

Go deeperJul 20, 2019

Miriam Kramer, Alison Snyder

Deep Dive: Factory Moon

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The Moon, long an object of fascination and exploration, is now also seen as a place to make money.

The big picture: 50 years ago during the Apollo 11 mission, humans were drawn to our nearest cosmic neighbor by scientific curiosity and the desire to demonstrate technological prowess and geopolitical power. But now there’s a financial incentive for the entrepreneurially minded.

Go deeperJul 20, 2019 - Science