A copy of Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” was minted onto an NFT after a ride on the ISS last week, as was an artwork by a former baseball player.
The International Space Station is becoming a launching pad for NFTs.
On the musical front, a pair of companies teamed up to beam a copy of composer Claude Debussy’s 1905 masterpiece “Clair de Lune” to the ISS last week, where the file orbited the earth before being beamed down to earth 90 minutes later and minted onto an NFT.
Cape Canaveral, FL-based Artemis Music Entertainment with space services provider Nanoracks to launch and mint the work — whose name is French for “Moonlight” — performed by pianist Wing-Chon Kam.
As for the choice of "Clair de Lune,” Artemis Music co-founder Bob Richard said he believes it “comes as close as possible to stirring the emotions of awe and wonder experienced by space travelers.”
The Claire de Lune NFT will be sold to support the Artemis Music Foundation, which seeks to empower young artists, creators, and musicians.
Ground Control To Aku
Art also made the jump, with Chicago White Sox veteran and artist Micah Johnson, launching a piece depicting his Black astronaut character Aku on July 28.
Johnson said his young character gains confidence, inspiration, and empowerment from a magical space helmet given to him by his mother after he asked her, "Can astronauts be Black?"
The one-off NFT will be auctioned on the Notables digital marketplace on August 10, with all net proceeds going to Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), a space-focused international student organization.
In addition, all Notables.co bidders are eligible to win a Zero-G flight from Zero Gravity Corporation, which uses a version of the plane NASA uses to train astronauts to let flyers experience weightlessness.
(Speaking as someone who has gone on a Zero-G flight, it’s worth getting in on the drawing — the trip is mind-blowing. Floating — and even falling up — are experiences that cannot be adequately described.)