Immortality Drive
The Immortality Drive (German: "Immortality Drive ") is a data carrier on which, among other things, the digital copies of a children's book and the genetic fingerprints of some celebrities were stored. British computer game pioneer Richard Garriott brought the Immortality Drive to the International Space Station as a space tourist in 2008 , where it has remained ever since.
prehistory
The eccentric software developer wanted to imitate his father, the astronaut Owen Garriott , and become an astronaut, but was not allowed due to an eye defect. Raised his fortune through his software company, he took part as a space tourist on a trip to the International Space Station in October 2008. On his journey into space, he also took the Immortality Drive with him, on which a children's book and the digital data sets with the DNA samples of several people are stored. A competition among the players of a game marketed by Garriott allowed participants to determine further contents of the memory chip. For example, Star Wars was named the best film and the Beatles the most legendary band.
Naming
The creation of the word Immortality Drive is ambiguous in English . The name can not only be perceived ostensibly as a description of the alleged function and purpose, but as a title is an essential part of the work and means, for example, immortality memory chip.
content
The contents of the memory chip include the children's book The Secret Key to the Universe by British physicist Stephen Hawking , as well as digital data sets with DNA samples from the following people:
- Stephen Hawking ( astrophysicist ) (Hawking promoted the Archon Genomics X-Prize )
- Lance Armstrong ( professional cyclist )
- Stephen Colbert ( comedian )
- Jo Garcia ( Playmate )
- Richard Garriott ( game developer )
- Matt Morgan ( wrestler )
In addition, personal messages and text contributions about the greatest achievements of mankind were mentioned. The contributions of players from Tabula Rasa were selected . Before the flight, the games manufacturer NCsoft , which was then contractually affiliated with Garriott, organized a competition among the players. The winners could then also have their genetic fingerprints stored in the memory.
reception
The Immortality Drive was featured in the History Channel- produced documentary series Life After People .
Many receptions emphasize the playful character of the work. A time capsule is counted as one of the presumed practical "possible uses" of digital copies , but there has also been speculation about its use to recreate humanity using the stored DNA after a disaster. This is how the work is related to cryonics .
Web links
- Richard Garriot's space mission ( Memento from April 19, 2019 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ DNA fingerprints in orbit ( Memento from July 8, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ). MSNBC, accessed August 2011.
- ↑ Lord British in space , Golem.de Description of the Garriots space mission (German), accessed in August 2011
- ↑ Stephen Hawking Sending DNA Into Space To Promote The Archon X PRIZE For Genomics , Medical News Today, accessed August 2011
- ↑ Immortality Drive: Stephen Colbert to have his DNA sent to space , Welt Online (English), accessed August 2011
- ↑ American Gladiator Matt Morgan to Send DNA to Space ( Memento January 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). NCsoft, accessed August 2011.
- ↑ Go Into Space And Become Immortal With Richard Garriott , The Escapist, accessed August 2011
- ↑ Richard Garriott travels with avatars into space ( memento from September 15, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ), accessed in August 2011.
- ^ Tv film , description of the documentary episode, accessed in August 2011
- ^ Immortality Drive , Gender and Technology (2009, English), accessed in August 2011