News Archive

Monday, January 28, 2002 NASA Survey (MSNBC) - The SSE Survey, as it is called, will give NASA a roadmap for spending on everything from Mercury to Pluto -- and all the planets and rocks between and beyond -- through 2013. It will be the most comprehensive set of recommendations governing solar system exploration ever provided to NASA by an outside agency, experts say. The final report will include data and opinions provided by individuals and various groups of scientists, each with their own objectives and desires. One tiny piece of the final report is a survey of public opinion. For that, the National Research Council turned to the nonprofit Planetary Society, which last Thursday launched an online campaign to solicit views from the man and woman on the street. The online survey asks participants to rate the importance, on a scale of 1-10, of eight objectives, including: Looking for life on other planets. Determining the suitability of other planets for human colonization. Searching for any potential danger to Earth from space. Another question asks which of 15 destinations, from planets to asteroids and comets, is the most important to pursue. (More info: MSNBC.com) @ 19:59 EST