How Singer Sarah Brightman Could Change the Face of Private Space Travel

[Buster's Uncle]

How Singer Sarah Brightman Could Change the Face of Private Space Travel
By Clara Moskowitz | SPACE.com – 3 hrs ago.. .

 
When singer Sarah Brightman launches to space in 2015 or so, she will likely be the most famous non-astronaut to reach orbit.
 
Brightman has signed a deal to fly in space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in the coming years. The classical soprano is thought to be paying upwards of $35 million for a 10-day trip to the International Space Station.
 
She won't be the first millionaire or billionaire to make such a journey, but she will likely be the most well-known. Brightman first gained fame starring in the original Broadway cast of "Phantom of the Opera" in 1986, and has since seen success as a global recording artist, selling 30 million classical albums and receiving more than 180 gold and platinum awards in over 40 countries.
 
This fame could bring positive attention to the space realm and the burgeoning field of private spaceflight, said former astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, current president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. [Video: Sarah Brightman Undergoes Spaceflight Tests]
 
"Somebody like Sarah Brightman, who already has a big following that doesn't intersect much with NASA's — I think that nexus could be very valuable," Lopez-Alegria told SPACE.com.
 


As an astronaut, Lopez-Alegria flew on the Russian Soyuz TMA-9 flight on Sept. 18, 2006, which also carried Iranian-American entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari, the fourth private citizen to fly to space. Like Brightman, Ansari booked her flight through Virginia-based space tourism firm Space Adventures.
 
"I flew with Anousheh up on her Soyuz flight," Lopez-Alegria said. "I was a little bit of a skeptic. I wasn't convinced it was good thing."
 
The former astronaut recalled being quickly won over to the idea of private spaceflight, though, by observing Ansari's dedication to training and her deep enthusiasm for space — an enthusiasm she was able to share with many people on the ground.
 
"She was able to reach out to so many people who don't care or don't follow what's going on at NASA," Lopez-Alegria said. "That was to me very telling and obviously very valuable, because at the end of the day, NASA relies on public support."
 
In addition to her celebrity, Brightman brings other valuable qualities to the table as an artist-turned-space tourist, such as her creativity and musical skills. Through these abilities, she can potentially communicate the experience of spaceflight in a different way than the scientists and engineers who usually fly to space are able to. As Jodie Foster's character Ellie Arroway remarks in the movie "Contact," "they should have sent a poet."
 
"I've often thought it would be good to send a poet or a writer or a journalist up there who would tell the story better," Lopez-Alegria said.
 
Brightman, who is also a UNESCO Artist For Peace Ambassador, plans to organize a series of concerts after she returns to Earth to share her space experience. And her new album, "Dreamchaser," set to be released in January 2013, was heavily influenced by her quest to pursue space, she said.
 
"I hope that I can encourage others to take inspiration from my journey," Brightman said in a press conference announcing her flight last week. "I am more excited about this than anything I have done in my life to date."

http://news.yahoo.com/singer-sarah-brightman-could-change-face-private-space-115211430.html

They SHOULDA sent Walter Cronkite 30 years ago.  He wouldn't have cared about the danger and the PR would have paid off the cost many times over.

[Unorthodox]

Long been a fan. 

http://youtu.be/Z9eHOkXDdgg
(Lacks something out of context and odds of folks actually having seen that show are relatively low)

[Buster's Uncle]

Looks kinda Shakespeare's Sister, and sounds a little familiar, too.  Doubt they'd play that on the classical station I play all day, so no idea from where.


Boy, that really ought to be a public relations bonanza - they just GOTS to have her sing a show from outer space.


Also, I'm usually joking when I say you ain't right, but I didn't need that ending in my head.

[Unorthodox]

Yeah, it comes outta nowhere too, kinda why I picked that one.   

Repo! The Genetic Opera.

It's what happens when the director of Saw decides to do a rock opera written by a graphic artist.  Heavy on the opera.  I highly recommend for sheer originality.  (the Repo Men movie ripoff SUCKS)

A Thankless Job (Full Scene from REPO!)

I ESPECIALLY recommend a shadowcast. 

http://www.reposhadowcast.com/active.html

As with Rocky Horror Picture Show, it's just not the same unless you're AT A SHADOWCAST. 

[Buster's Uncle]

I no longer desire to play your videos...

[Unorthodox]

You gotta admit that's a COOL use of an ancient illusion.  I think that was among the first things I learned how to do (ripping someone's guys out) with prosthetics. 

[Buster's Uncle]

How many guys have you ripped out of people?

[Unorthodox]

Typo, but I did rip a guy out of someone once as well.  Or rather a grandma and a girl out of a wolf....

[Buster's Uncle]

  Of course you did.  Spill.

[Unorthodox]

We had kick ass plays in elementary school. 

I was in charge of special effects.  Little Red Riding Hood was 6th Grade. 

4th Grade the Legend of Sleepy Hollow sure helped put me down this path of fascination with the dark.  I think I sometimes still hear the ghostly voices we created to close that play...

5th grade, I was eating the guts out of my brother for Halloween (much of my early stuff was pretty gore related).  Had built the trick table to accomplish it, reconstructing it from a haunted house design after a kind man gave me a behind the scenes tour (mentioned Max in the other thread).  Thus, it was easy to use it for the 'bed' in the school play.  (thought you don't NEED to use a trick table for a school play thanks to forced perspective, I hadn't quite caught on to that at the time)

[Buster's Uncle]

Ah.  Some of this sheds light on your strong sense of showmanship - I'm a showman, and I know one when I hear one and you definitely know what you're talking about when you describe setting up and putting on a show - and you definitely kept up the plays past sixth grade.

I could care less about the scary, as you know, but if I lived in [censored] I would totally be over at your house helping you with upcoming shows all the time.  Putting on a show is hard to beat, for fun.

[Unorthodox]

I don't even think "Scary" describes my place.  "Eerie" maybe, but not scary. 

If you were here, we would so TOTALLY have to do my medicine show.  My kids are not showmen enough to pull it off yet.  It is my eventual dream show, though.  Snake oil salesman. 

Admittedly, I'm not sure I could pull it off for the 3-4 hours straight either.  That's a lot of bunko to push. 

[Buster's Uncle]

I could totally do that.  I have a voice like an old testament prophet and can improvise like I ate Second City.

I survived the renfairs - I can do anything.

Tag team!

[Unorthodox]

I was always horribly shy, and you couldn't get me on stage no matter what.  (why I ended up doing the behind the scenes special effects stuff)

Even with the halloween setup at my house.  I focused on the shock value when I was young. 

Ironically it was working a drive-thru at burger king that got me over that, followed by a radio stint (Extremely fun, crappy pay).  That microphone seperation was enough of a barrier I didn't need to be shy.  Only recently realized a costume provides the same barrier. 

[Buster's Uncle]

I have a mile-wide shy streak, though not a problem once the ice is broken - I jumped straight to the costume, though I needed more caffeine than was good for me to feel bold enough in the renfairs to accost strangers like I should - if I'd been able to do the work that well not tripping on Mountain Dew, I might still be doing that.

(Renfair participants didn't know me, and thought they did - I was always speeding.)