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Projects: Space AdvocacyPublic Input to the Planetary Decadal SurveyConveying the public's opinions to the National Research CouncilAt the request of NASA, the National Research Council conducted an assessment within the planetary science community of the priorities for the U.S. planetary research programs for the next 10 years. The Planetary Society was asked to assist this "decadal survey" by seeking input from the general public about planetary exploration. Data were gathered through January 31, 2002. Missions and scientific objectives are decided upon based on many considerations, including anticipated scientific return, cost, feasibility, and public interest. This survey represented one opportunity for members of the public to tell NASA how they would like to be informed about their missions and about their priorities for planetary exploration. The following survey results are based on over 54,000 replies. 1. Future of NASA's Planetary Exploration ProgramWhat, in your opinion, should be the ultimate purpose of the U.S. planetary exploration program? Rank each on a scale of 1-10 on the basis of its importance to you, with 1 being the most important and 10 being the least important.
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| Statement | Percentage who preferred it |
|---|---|
| A) missions to new bodies not previously visited by spacecraft | 48% |
| B) missions to explore previously visited objects in greater detail? | 51% |
3. Choose five of the following missions that you think are most
important for space agencies to accomplish in the next decade.
| Mission | Percentage who listed it in their top five |
|---|---|
| Mars Missions | 91% |
| Moon Missions | 65% |
| Europa Missions | 62% |
| Pluto/Kuiper Belt Missions | 37% |
| Io Missions | 34% |
| Comet Missions | 30% |
| Titan Missions | 28% |
| Venus Missions | 21% |
| Jupiter Missions | 19% |
| Phobos Missions | 12% |
| Saturn Missions | 12% |
| Asteroid Missions | 12% |
| Mercury Missions | 8% |
| Neptune Missions | 5% |
| Uranus Missions | 4% |
4. How do you want to find out about space mission results?
Please indicate in what ways you currently receive news and information about U.S. space exploration activities. On a scale from 1 to 10, place a number next to each indicating how important or useful each one is to you, with "1" being most important/useful, "2" being less important, and so on. You may use the same number more than once.
| Medium | Overall Rank |
Percentage who ranked it 1st |
|---|---|---|
| World Wide Web Sites | 2.8 | 57% |
| Television | 3.5 | 32% |
| Newspapers/News Magazines | 3.7 | 25% |
| Science or Special Interest Magazine (e.g. Astronomy, Sky & Telescope) | 4.6 | 17% |
| Electronic Mail (Listserv, newsletter, etc.) | 4.9 | 21% |
| Radio | 5.1 | 12% |
| Books | 5.2 | 11% |
| Museums/Planetariums | 5.4 | 9% |
| Space Interest Organization Publication (e.g. The Planetary Society, Mars Society, etc.) | 5.6 | 10% |
| Lectures by Scientists | 5.9 | 9% |
| Posters | 7.3 | 6% |
5. For teachers
Please rank the following in order of their usefulness to you for classroom instruction in space science, with "1" being most useful and "7" being least useful.
| Medium | Overall Rank |
Percentage who ranked it 1st |
|---|---|---|
| Videos/DVDs/Laserdiscs | 2.3 | 51% |
| World Wide Web-based reference materials | 2.8 | 32% |
| NASA-developed hands-on activities | 2.9 | 30% |
| World Wide Web-based tutorials | 2.9 | 26% |
| Photographs | 3.5 | 17% |
| Slides | 4.5 | 10% |
| Posters | 4.6 | 8% |
6. Demographic information
| What is your age? | |
|---|---|
| under 15 | 2% |
| 15-25 | 25% |
| 25-35 | 38% |
| 35-45 | 20% |
| 45-55 | 11% |
| 55-65 | 3% |
| 65-75 | <1% |
| over 75 | <1% |
| Gender? | |
|---|---|
| male | 91% |
| female | 9% |
| no response | <1% |
| What is the highest level of education that you have completed? | |
|---|---|
| some high school | 6% |
| High School Diploma or GED | 16% |
| 2 or 4 year college degree | 50% |
| advanced degree | 25% |
| no response | 3% |
| About how often do you access the World Wide Web? | |
|---|---|
| Less than once a week | 2% |
| Once a week | 1% |
| Once a day | 13% |
| Several times a day | 83% |
| no response | <1% |
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