A London-based photographer will be among the first civilians ever to travel around the moon after beating more than a million applicants to a spot on a historic mission.
Rhiannon Adam, 37, was today announced among eight artists and creatives selected by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa for the once-in-a-lifetime trip.
She will become the first openly LGBT woman to go into space, and spoke of her joy at an "impossible dream coming true".
Rhiannon, who was born in Cork, Ireland, and spent much of her childhood at sea travelling around the world with her parents, will orbit the moon for a week on rocket made by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
She will join Grammy-winning musician Steve Aoki, South Korean rapper TOP, and Indian TV actor Dev Dushyant Kumar Joshi on the voyage, named dearMoon.
Rhiannon, who lives in Hackney, is best known for a groundbreaking photographic study of the remote South Pacific island community of Pitcairn, home to just 42 British subjects who rarely accept outsiders.
All those selected for the space voyage have artistic backgrounds, and will be tasked with creating an art project based on their experience.
The civilian crew will orbit the moon for around seven days before returning to earth.
After yesterday's announcement, Rhiannon said she was "beyond ecstatic" - but said many of her family and friends thought she was joking with them.
"I think they probably won’t wholly believe me until they are sitting in a friends and family room watching the launch," she said.
Rhiannon posted on Instragram: "As an out queer person, this feels particularly meaningful - visibility truly matters.
"Around the world there are many countries where my existence is still illegal, and I feel immensely privileged to be able to take up space, literally, and metaphorically."
Mr Maezawa, known as MZ, announced in 2018 that he would be funding the mission, with all seats on the maiden voyage to be given to artists.
Each will create a unique art project inspired by their experience in space.
Rhiannon found out about the dearMoon project while scrolling Twitter during the Covid pandemic, and put her name forward as she was "craving an adventure".
“When I discovered that I was selected, I cried," she said. "And I’m not usually much of a crier.
“I think it was overwhelming and had seemed just so impossible, and even then, it didn’t seem real. It did make me think that perhaps I should have played the lottery more.”
But she admitted that as someone who values her privacy and being behind a lens rather than in front of it, one of her overwhelming emotions was fear of being in the spotlight.
Rhiannon underwent stringent medical screening, and will have to start training for the mission, but admitted she "hasn't got a handle on" what this will involve.
Crew members will be:
- Rhiannon Adam: a British and Irish photographic artist living and working between London and the US.
- Steve Aoki: 2x GRAMMY nominated music producer, artist, fashion designer and entrepreneur, based in the US.
-
TOP (Choi Seung Hyun) – South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and avid art collector.
- Yemi A.D: Multi-disciplinary creative force from the Czech Republic, a social innovator and choreographer who teaches creativity to people & organisations.
- Tim Dodd: A content creator, photographer, videographer, and musician from the US. Host of YouTube Channel “Everyday Astronaut”.
- Brendan Hall - Documentary filmmaker from the US telling stories in the natural world and beyond.
- Karim Iliya – Photographer and filmmaker, based between Iceland and Hawaii.
-
Dev Dushyant Kumar Joshi – Indian television actor and social media influencer.
Back-up crew includes:
-
Kaitlyn Farrington – US Olympic snowboarder, who won the Gold Medal in the snowboard halfpipe at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games
- Miyu – A Japanese dancer, choreographer, and movement practitioner.
Mr Maezawa said: "We received applications from over 1 million people from all around the world. Following a strict screening and selection process, today we will be announcing 10 crew members.
I had deep conversations with each candidate, asking them about their childhood, why they are dreaming about going to space, what kind of challenges they would like to undertake. They are all fantastic people.
"There isn't a set task for each of them, but I hope each and everyone will recognize the responsibility that comes with leaving the Earth, travelling to the Moon and back in 7 days. They will gain a lot from this experience, and I hope they will use that to contribute to the planet, to humanity.”
