🌌 Can NFTs recreate spaceflight?

Former NASA astronaut Ron Garan wants to spread the “overview effect” of space with a wide audience – and he’s using a controversial medium to do it.

Former NASA astronaut Ron Garan wants to spread the “overview effect” of space with a wide audience – and he’s using a controversial medium to do it. It’s all in this subscriber-only Musk Reads+ 122.

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Last month, Ron Garan became one of the first astronauts to produce an NFT about his time in space. Short for non-fungible token, NFTs use blockchain technology to enable traders to buy and sell unique digital assets. The blockchain is a public ledger that tracks a token’s movements from owner to owner.

NFTs are currently used as traded collectibles, similar to baseball cards except with artwork instead of famous players. Researchers suggest that they could power other areas like land ownership in the future, where the certificate of ownership passes between people effectively.

Garan’s NFTs, dubbed “Perspective” and “I-SOAR,” were showcased at the L.A. Art Show on January 22. While the medium may have its critics, the art pieces themselves are captivating expressions of the wonders of space, capturing the planet from a distance 

“The driving force of space exploration is awe and wonder,” Garan tells Inverse. “Art is a vehicle that we can [use to] communicate that [...] to the people that may not be going to space.”