In case you missed it (and with so little going on in the news, I don't know how you could), last week NASA announced that it is planning on installing a 4G network on the moon. Yep, the moon's surface is now going to get better service than I can get here on Earth. Set aside the fact that I would have hoped that I would get at least two bars in my living room before expanding to other planets, it clearly demonstrated that E.T. really does need to phone (or FaceTime) home.
The program, called Artemis, has the stated goal of providing connectivity among astronauts circling the planet and their home base in Houston. The broader goal of the program is to build a "lunar infrastructure capable of supporting human life. In other words, by 2028, NASA wants astronauts to be able to live on the moon."
To achieve this goal, NASA is spending 370 million dollars with various private companies, including SpaceX (Elon Musk), Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos), and now Nokia, who failed to create a successful phone here on Earth. Nokia's device, and the network, gives astronauts on the moon the ability to make voice and video calls and transfer important data. It is interesting to me that among the first steps in achieving human survivability is establishing connectivity. It stresses the importance of communication in distant places and strange times. This is as true on our orbital friend as it is here on Earth.
Distant learning and strange times have shown that communication is more critical than ever before. When the pandemic started, we scrolled through Instagram as a distraction from our new reality. Recent studies have shown that we are reaching for our electronic leashes in different and essential ways.
Searches related to mental health & students going back to school has been 4.3 times higher over the past month.
Calm, the meditation app, has seen a 29% increase in downloads from March to August.
Between March and May, one-third of U.S. adults reported experiencing "stress, anxiety, and great sadness that was difficult to cope with by themselves."
And according to Adweek, "Meaningful media, or media that makes us experience a true connection, has become what people are craving.
Furthermore, the infectious germ that has invaded our nations, inflicted our communities, and infected our air has made further inroads into our lives. Now it's in our heads. According to a recent Washington Post article, there's been a bum rush on feeling bummed. "Some groups have been hit harder than others. Rates of anxiety and depression were far higher among younger adults, women, and the poor. The worse scores in young adults were especially notable, given that the virus has been more likely to kill the elderly or leave them critically ill." The article further states that approximately one-third of all Americans currently suffer from anxiety or clinical depression.
The solution to much of this centers around connectivity. The global pandemic has left our nation's young (and old) feeling isolated, alone, and filled with angst. When will it end? Will things ever return to normal? Will I, or someone I love, be impacted? There is a saying in politics and economics that states, "Americans can handle anything but uncertainty." (I am paraphrasing). And, I cannot remember a more uncertain time in my lifetime.
Yes, music matters. Perhaps now more than ever. It not only provides us with a creative outlet and a personal escape, but it gives us a chance to communicate in both musical and other meaningful ways. It is a shared experience among our peers that connects us to our normalized path and provides hope for a return to normal by connecting us with our peers in a way we once took for granted. However altered, making music, at school, with our teacher guiding us, removes some uncertainty. And that matters.
And anyone who doesn't believe this doesn't believe in science because the countries pre-eminent scientists at NASA are going to great lengths to ensure that they don't get a "CALL FAILED" message when they are 239,000 miles from home.
Here's to today's weekly connection with you. I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great week.
- Scott
p.s. If you're an astronaut who pre-ordered the new iPhone 12, don't worry—NASA says the moon network will eventually be upgraded to 5G.