Yes, space tourism is for the rich. But sending artists to space is good for all of us.

It's a beautiful idea that recognizes the space of roles, the moon and the views of the Earth on art and culture since humans have looked up at the sky. By recognizing the importance of art and artists, SpaceX and Maezawa could inspire and stimulate the curiosity of the human race, exhorting us to expand our perspectives. More importantly, they could help make space accessible to everyone, not just the rich.

Space tourism is not a new idea and companies offering such trips often claim that they "democratize" space. Charles Walker, an engineer with McDonnell Douglas, was the first citizen to join a space mission, which he did three times between 1984 and 1985 at a price of $ 40,000 (about $ 97,000 today). ; hui). In 2001, Californian millionaire Dennis Tito paid $ 20 million (about $ 28.5 million today) for an eight-day trip on a Russian rocket brokered by the Virginia Space Adventures-based company. Between that date and 2009, six other tourists made the trip for amounts ranging from 20 to 35 million dollars. Space Adventures now advertises "circumlunar" travel within 62 miles of the moon, but does not say how much it could cost.

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SpaceX is not the first company to design artists in space. In 2015, Lady Gaga delighted her fans by announcing that she would be the first person to perform a song in space aboard a Virgin Galactic shuttle as part of the Zero G Colony Music Festival. . pending plans. (Virgin Galactic has since been rebuilt and successfully tested its new ride, and reports that over 600 people have unlocked the $ 250,000 deposit for a trip.)

In the early 1980s, NASA set up the Participant program for space flights to recognize the importance of sending citizens into space. The first was the Teacher in Space program, for which more than 11,000 people applied. New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe made the cut, but died in the 1986 Challenger disaster. The tragedy led to the cancellation of the program, through which NASA also planned to take journalists and artists after the McAuliffe robbery. In 2003, NASA announced another program to bring journalists into space, but this project ended with the explosion of the Columbia spacecraft.

Human beings, be they artists or astronauts, are the most valuable cargoes and, of course, SpaceX must be as safe as possible about the safety and success of the mission. Initially, SpaceX planned to bring two tourists on a lunar flight in 2017, but the extra six years give time to try and prepare – and SpaceX and Maezawa carefully examine the impact this mission could have on art and culture perceptions of space.

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Neil deGrasse Tyson said in an address at the 2008 National Space Symposium that space exploration is essential not only for the economy, science or knowledge, but also because it affects culture. Tyson has alluded to science fiction, car design and environmentalism as proof of the cultural impact of space. In December 1968, Apollo 8, the first crewed lunar mission, generated the first picture of the Earth as a whole.

Known as "Earthrise," this image, taken for granted by those of us who have been born since, has changed the perception of humanity on the planet. Every human being born from our pale blue point, small and fragile in the cosmic perspective. Bill Anders, the astronaut who took the iconic photo, said that even though they were training for lunar exploration, the astronauts "discovered the Earth".

It is impossible to predict exactly how this mission might affect our culture, but it is safe to say that if it materializes, it will certainly be the case. Maezawa is looking for a fashion designer, a musician, a painter and a director (among other possible ones) to produce a work inspired by the physical, spiritual and artistic discoveries of the journey. Without giving any indication of who he might ask to accompany him, he simply asked the artists he addresses "please say yes".

Hoping that he will understand how monumental these invitations are and how important it is to choose artists of different trends in different countries. This mission can not "democratize" the space, but it will be the first time that humans will have the opportunity to experience the art made by non-astronauts who have saw something that few people will see first hand.

It is hard to imagine a more important time for humanity to rediscover the earth and what it means for a citizen of our beleaguered planet. Monday's announcement suggests Maezawa and SpaceX realize it. Now, they have a chance to demonstrate that they really think so.