Professional Artist to Draw in Space

New Zealander Makoure Scott, one of the first 100 Founder Astronauts for Virgin Galactic, plans to spend his space flight drawing. It's no surprise given that he is a professional artist who has already included space themes in his art (along with Maori and other indigenous influences).

I had the pleasure of meeting Makoure at his centrifuge training which was recently covered by New Zealand's One News. Scott is no small man, so I wondered how he was going to be able to take being six times his normal weight. I think he was wondering too. However, when the time came, he was smiling and even able to touch his nose at 6 Gs- something I don't think I even attempted.

Although I don't have the image of Scott at 6 Gs available at the time of posting, I do have one image I can share with you...

And that is of me at 6 Gs! As you can see, I weigh well over 750 lbs in this picture and the experience is a lot like melting off the seat. (It's actually easier than it sounds).

Makoure marks the start of a new era of space. An era where we will see a much broader range of humanity touch t
he stars. I am incredibly excited to see it myself and will be writing about other space "firsts" that the suborbital flights will bring in future posts.


For now though, I am just happy to see the first New Zealanders getting in the game (Makoure is not the only one!) and artists.

If there is one thing that Virgin knows how to do well, it is to craft their offerings as full sensory experiences. I think that many artists (and non artists) will be able to bring that other-worldly experience back to Earth. My commitment is that we inspire a generation of dreamers, builders, and explorers that expand not just the length of our life- but also the depth.

By Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides