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| Original image by SpaceX |
Last night, Japanese billionaire Yusaku
Maezawa surprised us all when he announced he purchased a private
flight to orbit the Moon on SpaceX's under-development rocket BFR to
fly not only himself, but also six to eight artist from around the
world to create art under the #dearMoon project.
First I want to talk about this image
which captured my heart when SpaceX showed it in June. Elon Musk
discussed his desire for fun and entertainment on long human
spaceflight missions. Although I have no musical talent of my own, I
have a lifelong love of the violin which Lindsey Stirling's talent
has intensify. This artist's rendering of a violin concert in space is beautiful.
This image invokes questions, wonder,
and imagination. What will the acoustics be like in a BFR-sized
spacecraft? How will the vibrations of the violin strings sound in
the pressurized air? What kind of music and tempo will be inspired by
the flight? What natural background noises will contribute to the
music? Concerts are visual as well as auditory. Look at the flow of
her dress and imagine how fabrics and cuts will move in microgravity.
What motions of the musician's violin playing will move her around
the room in any direction and orientation? Will she even notice or care?
Will she dance? Will she sing? How might the audience hear her music differently if
she is upside down, hovering above them? There is so much unexplored
art to be discovered in space.
The #dearMoon project is as
unprecedented as it is inspired. Picture a spacecraft of artists traveling
around the Moon, our closest celestial neighbor, the glowing orb that
has universally inspired so many throughout human history. The Moon
inspired me on my career path into space science and the space
industry. Countless art has been produced with the Moon as a muse,
including by Alan Bean, an Apollo 12 astronaut who touched the lunar
surface and used the dust from his flightsuit in his paintings.
Like most of the rest of us, these
lunar artists will be able to view but not touch the Moon. But they
will get a significantly better view of this familiar yet new world
than most of us ever will. They will witness humanity once again
spreading out into the stars, and this time, their primary mission
will not be science, engineering, or political victory. Their primary
mission will be art.
As scientist Ellie Arroway said in Carl
Sagan's Contact when witnessing humanity's journey through the stars,
"No words to describe it. Poetry! They should have sent a poet.
So beautiful." Although most of us will not be chosen for this
flight, I'd argue we are all artists in our own ways. We all
creatively express the emotions and motivations of life and humanity.
The #dearMoon project brings out the emotion and humanity in what we
do and why we do human spaceflight. It touches us all. I can't think
of better representatives to send to the Moon on behalf of humanity
than those charged with imagining, dreaming, and creating.
The analyst in me is skeptical this mission will happen, but the soul inside of me hopes it does.
For more information about the #dearMoon project, visit https://dearmoon.earth.
