Credit: Blue Origin
Twice this month, two of the world’s richest people launched themselves to the edge of space in rockets built by companies financed by their owners’ vast wealth. Both flights, by Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, were the first of their kind—private ventures for the sole purpose of space ‘tourism.’ Thus a new space age dawned, opening the final frontier to anyone who dares venture. Well, anyone who can afford $300,000 for a seat on a 10-minute flight.
After the flight, Bezos was asked about the experience of visiting space but was speechless, saying “that it was so overwhelming that he didn’t have the verbal skills to express it—maybe only a poet could do that.” Astronauts always describe a similar experience, a complete change in perspective upon seeing the Earth from the outside. Carl Sagan, who never went to space but was a poet, described the feeling most eloquently in his famous ‘Pale Blue Dot.’
The most enduring legacy of the space age was the mirror it provided us, showing what human ingenuity is capable of. Today we see something different as billionaires jostle and elbow to start the first off-earth colony. If the symbolism of the world’s richest man riding his extremely uh “anthropomorphic” shaped rocket ship was too subtle, Mr. Bezos made it explicit, donning a cowboy hat before taking off.
Join us tomorrow night at Florida Mining Gallery for the opening reception of Tenderfoot. Complimentary beer and wine!
Friday July 23rd, 6pm-8pm
Florida Mining Gallery
5300 Shad Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32257
Shout out to the Milwaukee Bucks for winning the NBA title this year. The whole post season featured shots of rabid Bucks fans in the "Deer District," an outdoor entertainment district next to the arena. Opened in 2019, the Deer District was designed by Gensler and RINKA and built on a site formerly occupied by a parking structure, lots, and pavement (sound familiar, Jacksonville?). In two short years it has become a fan favorite and a model for smart development in sports districts across the US. Well done, Milwaukee.
Credit: Milwaukee Bucks
