For those of us who were born into the “Star Trek” generation, we might use the opening voiceover by William Shatner as our mantra: “To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. The popularity of the newest Star Wars offerings, though, points to enthusiasm that crosses generation. Based on the latest winning projects on Kickstarter electronics free-thinkers are monetizing that enthusiasm with a variety of projects aimed at space exploration.

By shelling out from $30 to $140 dollars, space enthusiasts, whether working in the electronics industry or standing on the sidelines, could feel like they were part of something greater than themselves. At the same time, it's clear that the innovation continues to evolve as inventors look to capture space and space-themed projects and monetize them.

Below, we list the top 10 space exploration projects funded between January 2014 and August 2015. While all hit the stated funding goal, some were backed with 300%, 400%, and even 600% percent funding. Projects came primarily from the U.S. with a handful from the United Kingdom and Canada. Some are trying to take space exploration to new levels. Others provide electronic games or collectibles to space enthusiasts. Some are aimed at raising the space IQ of students. Clearly, all fired the imagination of consumers who love the final frontier of space.

Click on the image below to start a slideshow with the details of each of the top 10 projects.

What's the project you would like to see succeed most? Let us know which is your favorite project in the comments section below.

— Hailey Lynne McKeefry, Editor in Chief, EBN

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