The Outrageous Extraterrestrial Express – Weirdest Things Sent Into Space
No junk drawer too weird: touring Earth's interstellar oddities.
Introduction:
“And you thought your grandma’s attic was jampacked with random junk… Strictly speaking, we humans are already weird. But this? It’s on a stratospheric level. So, strap in, space tourists, we’re about to venture into the outer-space landfill, chock-full of the weirdest things we’ve ever launched over the moon. Buckle up! The gravity of the situation demands your full attention.”
1. “Houston, We Have Sea Monkeys”
Did Donatello and Michelangelo make a wrong turn at Albuquerque? No, NASA just thought it was a great idea to launch hundreds of baby shrimps into space because, you know, science! We’re not making this up – their spacecraft crisply named NEEMO 16, proved they could survive. Hooray for Astro-shrimps!
2. “In Space, Everyone Can Hear You Play”
Y’all won’t believe this, but in 2008, NASA beamed The Beatles’ ‘Across The Universe’ straight into, well, across the universe. Because aliens need a musical education too, right? Everyone assumes they’ll make first contact with algebra or something, but we’re just hoping they dig rock ‘n roll.
3. “Picasso’s Distant Gallery”
Picasso fans would be delighted to know that his artwork made it to the moon. Good thing he didn’t live to see his notable piece ‘Harlequin’ become space debris. Yes, we literally trashed the moon with modern art.
4. “Calling All Aliens: A Cosmic Mixtape”
In 1977, the Voyager probes carried golden records featuring Earth’s greatest hits from Beethoven to Chuck Berry. As if aliens experience music the same way we do. If they do get our ‘mixtape’, let’s hope they’ll send back an interstellar YELP review.
5. “Blasting Bacteria Into Outer Space”
We sent bacteria to space on purpose. Introducing Bacillus subtilis: likely the first organism to achieve a galactic get-away. Our reasoning? To see if life finds a way. Or we gave them free real estate on Mars.
6. “The Cosmic Lego Men”
The Juno mission to Jupiter took along three Lego statuettes. The million-dollar question: why? NASA vouched it was for ‘inspiration’. Maybe hoping E.T would enjoy a good build. Spoiler alert: they didn’t come with instructions.
Conclusion:
Oh, dear reader, buckle-back-up for re-entry. From ejecting art to blasting The Beatles beyond our atmosphere, this cosmic carnival certainly beats the intrigue of any earthly junk drawer (take that, grandma’s attic!). We’ve successfully littered the cosmos, one lovable quirk at a time. But isn’t that the gory and glorious tale of human ingenuity? You’re welcome, universe!
Vote on your favorite Weirdest Things Sent Into Space
Bonus Useless Fact:
Did you know platypus sweats milk? They literally ooze dairy. How fetch!
