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Japanese billionaire Maezawa picks K-pop star TOP, DJ Steve Aoki to join SpaceX moon trip

33 Comments
By Rocky Swift

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33 Comments
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This reminds me of the B Ark in the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - where they sent the most useless people in society off into space (they used the ruse of a mutant star goat about to attack the planet)... a DJ and a Korean pop star fit the bill nicely.

19 ( +23 / -4 )

Don't forget that among the "useless" people sent into space were telephone cleaners. And that the population left behind was wiped out by a virus spread on telephones. We are all contributing something to society.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

along with Aoki, a Japanese-American musician and DJ whose father founded the Benihana restaurant chain.

Maezawa and Zozotown doesn't even have the tangential cutting edge tech reputation of Musk and SpaceX.

In his defense, Aoki is an interesting choice as he has made songs about the Singularity.

https://singularityhub.com/2013/06/03/steve-aoki-music-video-singularity-imagines-cybernetic-transformation-features-ray-kurzweil/

And Musk's inspiration, Iain Banks, often featured a post-scarcity/Singularity society in his wroks.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

What terribly weak choices, with the exception of the two photographers and the one documentary filmmaker.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Yes, that’s excellent risk minimizing (if they’d be caught by aliens etc) lol

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Come back to Earth alive.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

If this SpaceX flight is like any of Musk's other announced project's, it won't be happening on the originally announced schedule, or anything close to it.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Like fellow billionaire Musk, Maezawa has a flare for promotion, etc.etc.

Mr Musk and Mr Maezawa, could you kindly spare some change for the homeless in the coming winter in Japan? And in all countries of the world?

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Never heard of any of these people and don't care to. dear Moon project.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Thank you.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Don't come back! I am sick and tired of hearing about this kind of things. There are better things can be done right here on earth instead of constantly seeking attention! Only the instant reach do this kind of things, no brains no class!

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Lot's of flouncy, Arty egos on that small rocket. Gonna be a real competiton to see who can spout the most guff. 8 days together could see it get messy.

Can we vote them off the rocket mid-flight?

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

I'm sure if they are abducted by aliens, the aliens will get to listen to edm house music and learn dance routines. Lol.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Well. I for one am very excited for Maezawa's real life enactment of Among Us. He's picked a good crew. I don't know who I'd eject into space first.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Well done Sir, and Good Luck.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

What with all the NEGATIVTY people!? Jealousy or what, LOL

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

PR masterclass.

Dearest Moon Crew, terra firma, viewing Earth natural satellite is the closest possible mission to the cosmo you will experience.

in the meantime.....

Fly Me To The Moon (2008 Remastered)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEcqHA7dbwM

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

You can throw in most of the "talento" into that "useless" group in Space X.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

It's his money................................

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Knowing what I know about I wouldn't go!!! All I can say is those who do go for the thrill will be asked to sign a disclosure because this rich guy is not stupid he will not lose his fortune so those who sign up will give up all their rights should anything goes wrong which would prevent their family from suing his estate. Again knowing what I know i would stay grounded there's just so many things that can go wrong especially with this technology its still cutting edge but not many flights to say its a go for me.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Artemis just did a pretty good mission around the moon. I think this is technically feasible if SpaceX gets the green light for expanding the flight test envelope. They’ve had some pushback getting flight authorization in TX. They need to get orbital, get their orbital refueling depot operational and, of course manned flight authorized. They have the NASA contracts for the moon lander, so a lot of this development will is already roadmapped. Was hoping that after the Artemis has flown the US regulatory agencies would lighten up a bit. Let’s see if they can get it off the ground 2023.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Also, space is worthwhile. A lot of tech spin-off. I don’t think poverty is a matter of money as much as a political problem. So, it’s not necessarily a zero sum game.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Billionaire enjoy space travel, poverty class are waiting for food aid from volunteers.

Such an "economic superpower", Japan.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Seems a useless waste of advanced technology to send the ultra rich and their sycophants on lunar junkets (von Braun would not be pleased)…

That's not how it works. The ultra-rich help fund the technology, by paying exorbitant rates to be taken into space.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Who is the common people who was supposed to be selected ?

Did he select one or it was just a PR ?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It was a big campaign a year ago for the selection. I applied then stopped in the second round as we needed a Twitter account or something like that. If nobody was selected through that way, it means all this stuff was a lie and just to boost his image and PR

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I heard of Steve Aoki because of Dan Bilzerian, but doesn’t look like the latter is going huh.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I heard of Steve Aoki because of Dan Bilzerian, but doesn’t look like the latter is going huh.

Steve Aoki is much, much more famous than Dan Bilzerian. He's been one of the worlds biggest DJs for nearly two decades.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This is only a natural 'next step' for space travel. We have people living and working for long periods of time on space stations now. As a teenager, I remember seeing a Space Shuttle carrying a German guest astronaut go overhead in our local skies. This past Sunday, I saw the International Space Station and the Chinese Tiangong space station fly through our skies.

This is progress. Not a revolution as much as an evolution.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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