When Kickstarter arrived and made projects like the Pebble and Ouya a reality it was clear crowdfunding would go far. But not all the way to the Moon.

A British scientist is planning to raise £500 million for a mission to the Moon.

Backers wishing to take part can pay $100, or about £64, which will buy them a memory disc that will be drilled into the surface of the Moon. Each disc will be about 2-inches in diameter and can be loaded with whatever information the person paying wants.

After flying to the Moon using a medium-life rocket like the SpaceX Falcon 9 drilling will start. While drilling 100-metres down to take samples for scientists the memory disc will be dropped off.

The mission's creator, British engineer and city financier David Iron has titled the mission Lunar Mission One. He said the crowdfunding angle should work leaving them with enough money to pull of the mission, and then some. "We’re looking to make billions in revenue," he said. "It will be well in excess of the mission costs."

His team have been working with the team behind the recent Philae space probe landing on Rosetta, RAL Space, part of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

The team is seeking funding now with plans to launch by 2024.