Space tourism is “the ultimate boutique spiritual experience”
8 days in Pyongyang + money is a fiction (Issue #311)
On Monday, Katy Perry, Gayle King, and four others flew into space for 11 minutes and then promptly came back down to Earth. Perry sang Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” while staring down at all of us. Jeff Bezos and Oprah (King’s best friend) were among the small group of spectators in western Texas watching takeoff.
All of this was orchestrated by Blue Origin, the private space technology company founded by Jeff Bezos 25 years ago. Most of the company’s business is space tourism (they don’t reveal how much each ticket costs, though some sources mention a $150K deposit, and Blue Origin has occasionally flown celebrities to space for free, as guests, basically for PR). It’s not exclusively space tourism, though — last year, Blue Origin won its first contract with the U.S. Department of Defense.
But yeah, it’s mostly space tourism.
Most of the takes I’ve seen poke fun at Monday’s launch, deriding it as a stunt, or just rich people congratulating themselves. (And, arguably, there are better ways to use Bezos’ fortune to empower women than sending six celebrities into space.) That’s all true. But also… I kind of would love to go to space one day? Before I die? (And I have no interest in spending a decade studying to become an astronaut.) Many technologies and experiences that eventually became middle-class staples began as luxuries (see: personal computers, refrigerators, automobiles, and summer vacations). What if, centuries from now, space tourism became as accessible as other modern luxuries? What if our great-great-great-great-great grandchildren can casually tour space…?
In the Medium archive, philosopher commented on the first-ever space tourism expedition (featuring Richard Branson) and reflected on his interviews with astronauts about how space changed them spiritually. Astronauts usually return from orbit with “an enhanced sense of… interconnectedness” and appreciation for life down here on Earth, he writes. This is known as the “Overview Effect.”
“What would it do to humans if we could all experience the Overview Effect?” Evans asks. How might that change humanity?
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From the archive: 8 days in North Korea
A decade ago, Meta’s former Director of Product Management, , spent a week in North Korea out of curiosity: What, he wondered, was life like inside the “Hermit Kingdom” (his words)? He came back with some choice photos and a new perspective: The city has “propaganda vans” driving around blaring pro-government messages, and “Every morning, at 6:30am, you awake to the delightful wake-up call of propaganda music blaring into your windows from the streets.” (Tseng recorded a video, it’s in the post.)
Quality of life in Pyongyang was better than he expected (decent beer, bustling water parks, great real estate…) but there was an eerie staged quality to some of the businesses, including what Tseng is pretty sure was a totally fake auto dealership (???) “complete with fake customers conducting fake business, and having fake conversations with fake salespeople.” (Here’s his video.)
Everything was “simultaneously touching and disturbing,” and — after touring schools, factories, and the country’s App Store (a physical location; you bring your phone and they install an app right there for you…) — Tseng notes, “You can’t fully appreciate freedom until you’ve lost it.”
⏳ A dose of practical wisdom
“Time is all we have. Money is a fiction we’ve collectively agreed upon.” — , Nature Doesn’t Rush, So Why Are You?
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