Nearly 40 years after the last moon landing, during a period of economic and technological decline, the US government has ceased domestic manned space launches. They have since chosen to rely on foreign governments and commercial entities to ferry American astronauts and cargo to space, endeavoring to spur innovation and efficiency.
Likewise, government support for the arts has all but evaporated, leaving artists and arts organizations scrambling to find international and corporate funding and to trim expenses while broadening public outreach.
NASA has also recently publicized a call for qualified individuals interested in becoming astronauts, one of few job opportunities during this millennial recession.
Therefore, the ADVENTURE artist residency program, led by Calder Brannock, has determined that now is the time to renew the spirit of the 1960s, both technologically and artistically, with an all-artist independent mission to the moon. Given the vast advances in computing and artistic practice, such a dangerous and grueling mission, while difficult, should be eminently attainable with commercially available technology and art school training.
A team of civilian artist-engineers will assemble a space worthy-vessel for nine artastronauts, equipped with the essentials for a sixteen-hour round-trip journey. The vessel will be locked-down and launched from Mission Control in the symbolic location of Trinidad, a neighborhood undergoing rapid arts-driven gentrification in Washington, DC at about 12 noon, EST. The artist-explorers should reach the moon at about 9 p.m. EST, where they will disembark on a brief lunar mission, then return to their capsule for their return journey.
Visitors to Mission Control will be able to see unmediated live-streamed video and communication from the capsule, as well as live steaming footage from the first moon landing since December of 1972. There will be a party at 9 p.m. EST, either celebrating the vehicle’s touchdown on the lunar surface or in memoriam of our brave travelers.
Visitors unable to travel to our location in the nation’s capital due to time, financial, or clearance restraints will also be able to view video and messages from the crew released through social media outlets.