It had to happen eventually, I suppose: Madonna is interested into going into space. She mentioned it on a visit to Russia recently, and while it caused some distress in that country, I’ll just bet that they’ll acquiesce — if they’re willing to let an astronaut hit a golf ball off the space station, I think they’ll let Madonna go up as well. And if it helps give publicity to space travel, and, better yet, gets young girls interested in space and science, then I’m all for it.
In the meantime, I’ll avoid jokes about "Burning Up", "Lucky Star", and "Live to Tell", but I can’t help wondering: why did she go with the Russians, and not try to book with Virgin Galactic?
Tip of the pointy bra to James Oberg for the news, and yes, the image is from the actual Russian Novosti news article.
September 15th, 2006 at 10:02 am
I’m sure lots of people would be interested in seeing Madonna launched into space.
Sorry, it’s the best i could do on such short notice.
September 15th, 2006 at 10:42 am
… and left there?
I wonder if Madonna has even heard of Virgin Atlantic. I mean with a name like that, she’d be at a loss.
September 15th, 2006 at 10:46 am
I am told that Madonna is wading into the Pluto brouhaha. From http://www.salon.com/ent/col/fix/2006/09/15/fri/
‘ Meanwhile, the singer has other space-related missions to accomplish, according to her rep: “Madonna’s work is not finished here. She will continue her quest to reinstate Pluto as a full planet.”‘
Google isn’t showing much yet, but I’m curious as to whether she has a serious interest in astronomy, a backlog of astrological forecasts that would need to be redone at great expense, or she just can’t stay away from controversy.
September 15th, 2006 at 11:28 am
and not try to book with Virgin Galactic?
I’m quite certain that if she set foot on anything Virgin, whatever it was would have an anaphylactic rejection reaction to her presence.
September 15th, 2006 at 11:47 am
It would certainly top “Elvis live from Hawaii”, but Madonna promote science? Come on! She’s almost as big a nut as Tom Cruise.
Maddona and Kabbalah fluid
September 15th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Quote from Kabbalah article:
That’s it! Send that arrogant nutjob off this planet, please!
September 15th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Umm… what exactly is she doing to the space station in that picture?
I thought this was a family site. Won’t someone think o’ da childins?
September 15th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
She wants to be an ethereal girl, too. What next.
September 15th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
>> “That’s it! Send that arrogant nutjob off this planet, please!”
I dunno… *someone* out there might consider it an act of war.
Or that it’s time to end the experiment and pack everyone away in Carlsbad Caverns.
Two bonus points to anyone who even gets that.
September 15th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Phil said:
“and not try to book with Virgin Galactic?”
Well, Virgin Galactic isn’t even flying yet, and they won’t be going to the ISS anyways, IIRC. The Russians on the other hand can and will get you to the ISS and thus provide a much longer trip in space.
September 15th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
I wonder if they’ll have to pack a bunch of kaballah water for her… I’ve heard she will drink little else.
Anyway, she’s pretty much already in outer space like so many entertainers. California isn’t the only state that produces moonbats… apparently so does Michigan. Or is it that the moonbats of the world like to roost in California? (Damn, I just love that word…)
I’m all for positive space travel publicity. I just wish an interesting and intelligent entertainer would do that rather than some vapid popstar who clings to some seriously woowoo nonsense. I think Penn and Teller doing magic tricks in zero-g would be WAY cooler than some moron like Madonna.
September 15th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
Another comment on the vast wastage of manned space flight from Bob Park, the man who doesn’t know what he is talking about.
2. SPACE: INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION UNFURLS NEW SOLAR PANELS.
The world’s most expensive scientific laboratory installed additional solar panels yesterday, capable of producing 100 kilowatts or so of additional power for experiments. The panels cost $372 million to build, and about three times that much to send up to the ISS. Stand by for important new results. The only unique feature of a space environment is micro-gravity. One of the things you could study in micro-gravity is cavitation in spherical drops of water. A paper just published in Phys. Rev. Lett. reports important new insights from such studies except the experiments weren’t done in space. They were done on a European Space Agency aircraft flying in parabolic arcs.
September 15th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Does Moon Unit Zappa want to be the first female tourist on the lunar surface too?
September 15th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
Ummmm. Seriously. What’s wrong with this quote:
That’s it! Send that arrogant nutjob off this planet, please!
You have that much anger at her choice of modal?
I honestly can’t see why you don’t approve of her acknowledging that people like her need to get involved in efforts to make sure the planet isn’t destroyed by, oh, war or global warming or something.
September 15th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
If there was only enough Kabbalah water then pollution and global warming would be a thing of the past! If we could use Kaballah water to neutralize nuclear (nu-kyoo-lar?) waste then why not spray it into the clouds and let it cleanse the world! WOO!!!!!!!!! WOO!!!!!!!! Ahem… this is sound of us all groaning at people like this and rolling our eyes.
…and still I like whackos like this better than freaks like Ann Coulter.
Madonna’s types are like that crazy aunt a lot of people have in their family. She’s kinda fun but still crazy. She’s got like fifty cats and read your Tarot cards when you were 8.
Ann Coulter’s types are that domineering crazy aunt who stuck her nose into the business of everyone in the family and chided you for being stupid because you didn’t follow her advice (which was always the strictest and most self-esteem destroying advice you could take). She had her hair in that severe bun and wore frumpy grey dresses. Everyone pitited uncle Coulter. I’ve never seen someone’s alcoholism so justified (his only other option was murder-suicide, poor jerk).
Ahhh, the dysfunctional national family!
Nice to have cool cousins like you guys to help me stay sane.
September 15th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
This has nothing to do with this posting. But I want to talk to you via email about another matter. Please email me. Thanks, Fiona
September 16th, 2006 at 7:56 am
I don’t think Madonna will be going to space until the xxx-prize is announced.
September 16th, 2006 at 9:05 am
My support for her in this endeavor (or lack thereof) is wholly dependent upon her choice of wardrobe.
September 16th, 2006 at 9:40 am
“Or that it’s time to end the experiment and pack everyone away in Carlsbad Caverns.”
Ghost of Tookie…perhaps this is from the movie Unknown World?
September 16th, 2006 at 10:55 am
Entertainers! What whako thing will they be involved in next?
Nobody said you had to be rational in order to sing and dance. HAving said that, I refer you to such as PAul Kantner of the Jefferson Airplane/Starship, SciFi aficianodo, guitarist, singer song writer, political activist and all around really cool guy, or any one of a number of the ’60s era radicals, those who fought anti-rationalism with their music, words and whacko behavior. Sometimes, doing something totally off the wall crazy is the best way to draw attention to injustice, as with Wavy Gravy, Hip Clown par excellance.
These are some of the brightest people on the planet, choosing to express their opinions via music and laughter rather than guns,,,
It was once stated in print by a physicist at MIT that six of the ten smartest people on earth played music in the Grateful Dead.
Ah, opinions, everyone has one,,,
,,,but with that one I agree,,,
One need not be an astronomer or physicist to be a scientist. All you need is a profound comprehension of the Method. Science, after all, really means knowledge and that’s what we’re all persuing.
Maddona lacks only rigourousness in thought, but that might well deprive us of her whimsical and spontaneous behavior. At least she’s TRYING to contribute. To bad she doesn’t know one of us,,,it might give her a more balanced outlook.
I volunteer to educate her!
GAry 7
September 16th, 2006 at 11:38 am
Sounds like a good movie: “Madonna in Space!”
Because in space no one can hear her sing!
September 16th, 2006 at 11:49 am
I wonder how big a check she’ll be writing to get a spot on the Soyuz.
Also, I can just imagine her in orbit. First few days, she’ll be puking her guts out. Better give her that water.
Then, once at the ISS, she’ll probably ask “What’s this do?” to various controls.
Then comes the question on what vechile will bring her back; shuttle or Soyuz?
I hope she’ll figure out the zero-G toilet.
September 16th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
if she goes up can we keep her up there?
September 17th, 2006 at 2:16 pm
It’ll just be another piece of space junk, with all the other flotsam and jetsom orbiting the planet.
September 22nd, 2006 at 8:46 am
I though “shooting star” when I saw this.
Two problems: I don’t want weapons in
space (or used, anywhere); and there’s no
billions-tons-star of fusing H involved.
Both are way neater. And no whatever-it-is
magic fruitcake juice.
Penn and Tellar in space — Great Idea
(provided they come back)!