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TechTaylor Swift

A Teenage Bitcoin Millionaire is Launching Taylor Swift’s Music Into Space

By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
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By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
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August 19, 2017, 12:36 PM ET

Bitcoin millionaires are being made every day as the cryptocurrency’s value continues to climb. One making waves in particular is Erik Finman, who first invested in Bitcoin in 2011 – when he was only 12 years old.

Now, Finman is working to send a multimedia time capsule into space. He’s gathering videos from artists and fellow teenagers. The archive will also reportedly include Taylor Swift’s album “1989” and contributions from X Prize founder Peter Diamandis. Finman told TechCrunch that the archive element of the project is meant to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Voyager probe launch, which carried a compilation of Earth sounds known as the Golden Record. Compiled by astronomer Carl Sagan, the Golden Record included natural sounds, 115 images, and a 90-minute selection of music from classical to rock n’ roll.

The new time capsule will be launched on a microsattelite known as Project DaVinci. Project DaVinci is based out of the North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, a high school co-founded by Erik Finman’s mother, the engineer Lorna Finman. A team of nine students from the school is being advised by mentors like aerospace engineer Burt Rutan. Rutan won the X Prize in 2004 for completing the first privately funded manned space flight – a precursor to companies like SpaceX.

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Project DaVinci’s foot-long “CubeSat” will include several features in addition to Erik Finman’s video archive, including sending messages to partner schools on the ground to encourage interest in science education. The satellite will also, appropriately, conduct “the first Bitcoin transaction in space.”

DaVinci was among a group of CubeSats selected by NASA to launch on rockets with extra payload space. According to a spokesperson, Project DaVinci’s launch is now set for early 2018.

Update: This article has been updated with new information about Project DaVinci’s launch date.

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By David Z. Morris
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