Africa is Planning a Mission to the Moon!

Did you know that people in Africa are planning a mission to the Moon?
This exciting mission is called Africa2Moon!


The Foundation for Space Development in South Africa created the Africa2Moon mission with three main objectives: to Inspire, Educate, and Do Science. Sometimes in life, we try to encourage other people by saying "reach for the stars," but the Africa2Moon mission is going to inspire by actually reaching the Moon! In the process, the mission will be providing STEM education and outreach, which will help create more economic opportunities for participants. Scientific objectives include completing experiments and transmitting images of the Moon from space back to classrooms in Africa, creating further inspiration and education!


Want to learn more about Africa2Moon? Visit the website:
http://africa2moon.developspacesa.org/


Stay connected with the Foundation for Space Development and the Africa2Moon Mission through social media:

• Twitter:   @africa2moon
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/developspacesa/

Want to get involved?

• You can donate to the crowd-funding campaign (http://africa2moon.developspacesa.org/donate/)
• You can see if they still need any international volunteers (http://africa2moon.developspacesa.org/who/volunteer-science-engineering-panel/)

Anthropologist's Note: Sometimes people think that Africa is just a continent full of serious problems such as diseases, poverty, and war. When the Africa2Moon mission was first launched, there were many negative comments made publicly that perhaps Africa had more important things to focus on, rather than trying to take part in the global space arena. These people misunderstand that some intervention programs are meant to solve immediate problems, and others (like Africa2Moon) are more focused on finding long term solutions. I encourage you to read this article by the Africa2Moon Project Administrator written in response to these concerns:

http://africa2moon.developspacesa.org/2014/12/03/op-ed-doesnt-africa-have-bigger-priorities-than-going-to-the-moon/ 

The Africa2Moon mission has enormous potential to change the lives of those living in countries in Africa, and I am proud to be a financial supporter of their crowd-funding campaign!

If you happen to be one of those people who believes that Africa is nothing more than a troubled continent, I encourage you to check out the hashtag #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. While problems do exist in countries in Africa, problems exist in countries all over the world. There are a lot of great people and great things in countries in Africa, and these should be recognized by the media more often.


(Image Credit: Foundation for Space Development)