More than third of Brits think human will have to live in space in future
11 November 2019, 03:00
More than a third of Britons believe humans will inevitably have to live in space due to the Earth becoming increasingly uninhabitable.
While the public sector dominated space exploration in the 20th century, the space race this century has been revolutionised by the private sector.
It appears increasingly likely that people will look to private enterprises such as Elon Musk's SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Asgardia to facilitate their space travel.
To find out what the UK thinks about travelling to and living in space, Asgardia - the first space nation seeking official recognition from the United Nations - commissioned Populus to conduct a poll of over 2,100 people.
From this figure, 37% said it was inevitable that humans would have to move off Earth because the planet will not be suitable to live on.
A total of 29% of those surveyed said they would pay to go to space if it were easily accessible to the general public. However, less than a fifth would use their savings to visit space if given the chance.
People were also asked their opinions on aliens, with 42% believing extraterrestrial life has or will visit the Earth at some point.
One fifth of those polled were worried about an asteroid potentially crashing into Earth, and the same number believe planetary alignments affect their mood.
Former Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik, chairman of Parliament for Asgardia, said: "Inspiring the public to dream about space travel and tackle the final frontier is vital to the success of our endeavours.
"But with nearly a third of UK with an ambition to visit space, it is clear to see that this support is not unattainable.
"One of the keys will be to help people feel as though they are a part of something bigger and more tangible than just watching a rocket launch or following the fate of a satellite due to crash into a comet.
"Asgardia aims to provide this, with over a million followers already, the space nation offers the opportunity to contribute to the exploration of space.
"From running for a seat in our Parliament to tackling the scientific challenges associated with space living, democratising space exploration is a key goal of ours."
Asgardia is named after the City of the Gods in Norse mythology and its main aim is to develop space technology free of politics and laws on Earth, leading ultimately to a permanent orbiting home where its citizens can live and work.
