ahar...@earthlink.net Big Artistic Performance to Be Set in Space
> This sounds like fun. > > Mark your calendars, gang - Stardate Oct. 9 > > > > Big Artistic Performance to Be Set in Space > (http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090902-space-tourist-canada.html) > > By Clara Moskowitz, Staff Writer > posted: 02 September 2009 > > The first ever widely acknowledged artistic performance from space will > be broadcast from the International Space Station on Oct. 9. > > Orchestrated by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, who is set to > launch to the station as a space tourist Sept. 30, the event will > feature artists performing from 14 cities around the world, as well as > Laliberte broadcasting from space. > > Laliberte described the event, called "Moving Stars and Earth for > Water," as a "poetic social mission" to communicate the importance > water has for the planet and its people. > > Scientists have warned that water shortages rank with energy and food > issues around the globe as top governmental issues now and in the > future. > > Global million-dollar effort > > The Canadian acrobat is due to fly along with two professional > astronauts aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome > in Kazakhstan. Laliberte booked his trip with the Russian Federal Space > Agency through the U.S. firm Space Adventures, which usually charges > about $30 million for the excursions. Laliberte is set to stay aboard > the International Space Station for about 12 days. > > In addition to founding Cirque du Soleil, Laliberte started the ONE > DROP Foundation, which aims to fight poverty in the world by working to > provide clean water to everyone. > > "This artistic mission will permit me to raise awareness for [the] > water issue," Laliberte said Wednesday in a press conference. "I > believe through art and emotion we can convey a universal message." > > The artistic event is planned to be broadcast simultaneously on Oct. 9 > at 8:00 p.m. ET (0000 GMT) on huge screens in 14 cities, as well as > online at Onedrop.org and Aol.com. A cadre of personalities, including > former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Peter Gabriel, Shakira, and U2, are > set to perform from Montreal, Moscow, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Marrakesh, > Sydney, Tokyo, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, and London, as well > as the U.S. cities New York, Santa Monica, and Tampa. > > Laliberte has been working with various artists on a poetic fairy tale > that will tell about the importance of water through the perspective of > four characters: a star, the moon, the sun and a drop of water. > > During the event, artists in each city will read part of the tale, as > well as perform in other ways. Laliberte will also read from space > coordinate the worldwide events. > > "People should see that as a moment where the voices of the world are > unifying in a specific moment and participating at an event together to > talk about water," he said. "This is a moment of great friendship, of > great artistic rendering, I believe, and hopefully this artistic > project will touch people." > > Though Laliberte is spending millions of dollars on this project, he > said he thinks it's worth it. > > "The space community is excited about this project," he said. "We're > building up a global event. I don't know what will be the end result, > but so far, so good, and we're very, very happy." > > Training for months > > Laliberte has been training for moths alongside professional > spaceflyers in Russia's Star City for his mission. Soon he and his > crewmates, Russian Cosmonaut Maksim Surayev and NASA astronaut Jeffrey > Williams, will fly to Baikonur and enter quarantine in advance of their > launch. Surayev and Williams are due to take up long-term residence on > the space station as Expedition 21 crewmembers. > > "I'm starting to get some butterflies inside me flying around," > Laliberte said. "I'm starting to get the little buzz of going up > there." > > Laliberte, 50, is married and has five children. He said traveling to > space has been a dream of his since he was a young boy watching men > land on the moon for the first time. > > "This whole thing is so much a privilege," Laliberte said."This is a > fairly tale for me." > > Laliberte is due to become the seventh private explorer to journey to > space. The last space tourist to fly was Charles Simonyi, a Hungarian > software executive who made his second trip to the space station in > March, also brokered through Space Adventures. > > > > >
