Savannah Mandel MSc in Social Anthropology Dissertation 1 MSc in Social Anthropology Dissertation THE ASTROPHILE’S MITE: Risk and Sacrifice in the Commercial Space Industry SAVANNAH MANDEL Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MSc in Social Anthropology (UCL) University of London 2018 Word Count 15,411 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY Note: This dissertation is an unrevised examination copy for consultation only and it should not be quoted or cited without the permission of the Chair of the Board of Examiners for the MSc in Social Anthropology (UCL)