Category:
Space Travel

Wate-On

Based on the strange clothing and the thing that looks like an asteroid in the top right corner, I think the two people are supposed to be futuristic space travelers of some kind. Why they're in an ad for a weight-gain product, I don't know.

Sports Illustrated - June 5, 1978

Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 17, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Advertising, Space Travel, 1970s, Dieting and Weight Loss

Space is the Place

The definitive statement from a master weirdo, Sun Ra. A couple of clips below.


The entire movie can be viewed on YouTube (but not embedded here).



Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 08, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Aliens, Eccentrics, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Music, Space Travel, 1970s

Allan Bryant, “Space Guitars”

Let us all know how far you get before tossing in the audio towel.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 23, 2022 - Comments (5)
Category: Space Travel, 1970s, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults

Space Dance

Raquel Welch dances in a silver bikini to a jazzed up version of Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" — since Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey forever made that piece synonymous with space travel.

The clip is from Raquel!, a 1970 CBS television special.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Oct 04, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Futurism, Music, Space Travel, 1970s, Dance

Martian Blood Concrete

Researchers at the University of Manchester have proposed that future settlers on Mars can create concrete by mixing Martian dust with their own blood and urine. Details from globalnews.ca:

Water is scarce on Mars and it costs $2 million to send a single brick to the Red Planet, according to estimates. But astronauts can simply make their own concrete on-site using Martian dust and their own blood, according to findings published this month in the journal Materials Today Bio...
The blood-and-dust mixture alone is equivalent to concrete, but researchers say it becomes even stronger when human urea is added to the mix...
Roberts and his team say that animal blood could eventually replace human blood in Martian construction projects, but that would only happen after we send cows to Mars.

Experimental 'astrocrete' made from blood and dust



We've posted before about the use of blood to make concrete. Charles Laleman was granted a patent for this in 1980, but the practice goes all the way back to Roman times.

Posted By: Alex - Sat Oct 02, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Architecture, Patents, Space Travel, Blood

Zero Gravity Toilet Instructions

This has been circulating around for a while, but it was new to me so perhaps it'll be new to others as well.

In one scene during 2001: A Space Odyssey, the character of Dr. Heywood Floyd uses a "zero gravity toilet" while he's on the space station. He's shown briefly examining the lengthy list of instructions on the wall next to the toilet.



Stanley Kubrick was so obsessive over details that, instead of using gobbledygook, placeholder text for the sign, he actually had someone create a list of toilet instructions. Film buffs have extracted this text, and it's available for purchase as a poster (perhaps to hang in your bathroom) or printed on a t-shirt. (I won't link to any specific retailers, but they're easy enough to find using Google).



Far Out magazine suggests the zero-gravity toilet instructions may have deeper meaning within the broader context of the film:

Perhaps, thus the ‘zero-gravity’ toilet instruction is the only intentional joke in the film. In a scene aboard the space station, Floyd is seen peering at a detailed and convoluted instruction manual on the use of the zero-gravity toilet. Kubrick’s disdain of instructions for the understanding of the film highlights the irony of a page long instructions from the zero-gravity toilets. In an interview, Kubrick’s explained the zero-gravity toilet was the only intentional joke in the film. That evolution and technological advancement would lead to convoluting of tending to basic human needs is well worth a snigger. Despite its ambiguity, Kubrick doesn’t “want to spell out a verbal roadmap for 2001”. Kubrick’s film doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but the zero-gravity toilet does.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 13, 2021 - Comments (3)
Category: Bathrooms, Movies, Space Travel

The Lunar Hilton

Back in 1967, as the first landing on the moon approached, Hilton prepared plans for opening hotels in space. They envisioned first opening an Orbiter Hilton, soon to be followed by a Lunar Hilton.

Details from an article in the Boston Globe (July 20, 1969):

The first moon tourists will enjoy comfortable earth-style living in a tri-level underground resort. Bottom level will contain mechanical equipment and the center level will consist of two 400 feet guest corridors containing 100 rooms. Top level will be for public space.

Hilton said the three floors will eliminate elevators and should minimize power requirements. Multi-story underground moon hotels will come later.

Guest rooms will have wall-to-wall television for closed circuitry views of space and to receive programs from earth. A nuclear reactor kitchen will prepare dehydrated freeze dry foods. Cleaning will be done by small laser units.

The Lunar Hilton's most popular spot will probably be the Galaxy Lounge where thermopane windows will provide a view of outer space and earth. Pre-measured, pre-cooled, "instant" drinks will be served by push buttons.

Hilton even created a key for a room in its lunar hotel and printed up a form so that people could book a reservation.

More info: CNN Travel



Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 05, 2021 - Comments (3)
Category: Hotels, Space Travel, 1960s

“Wonder” by Ebony Buckle



London-based singer/songwriter Ebony Buckle is back with her latest single “Wonder”. The track is inspired by the world’s loneliest whale. “52” was first discovered in the 80s, singing at a frequency of 52hz (higher than any species known to humans). It was believed that this whale would not be heard by any of the other whales in the ocean, but now after decades of research, there is another theory that the whale’s song is heard by all other whales, as it stands out with its uniqueness. In awe of this natural wonder, Buckle wanted to give us a different perspective of the whale, turning her into an interdimensional traveler, who has lost contact with her home planet. The whale calls and calls for companionship, as she drifts further away.


Source of text.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 25, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Fey, Twee, Whimsical, Naive and Sadsack, Music, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Space Travel, United Kingdom

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Who We Are
Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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