Richmond professor to go on pioneering spaceflight with Elon Musk

Adjunct professor at Richmond American University London, Rhiannon Adam, will be undertaking the adventure of a lifetime as she has been chosen to fly to the moon with Elon Musk.

Rhiannon, who is a London-based photographer teaching Film & Photography students at the University, will be joining a Japanese billionaire and a small group of artists on a five-day, 500,000-mile journey, orbiting the moon but not landing.

In 2018, Elon Musk announced that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa had signed up to be the first commercial passenger on the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), a nearly 387-foot-tall vehicle currently under development by the Tesla founder’s astronomical-centred start-up, SpaceX. Maezawa purchased all of the seats on the rocket and said that he would invite a group of artists to travel with him.

In order to get through the selection phase for this “awe-inspiring, global, universal art project,” which is called “Dear Moon,” Rhiannon was interviewed by both Elon Musk and Yusaku Maezawa.

Rhiannon’s long-term projects straddle art photography and social documentary, while subject matter is often focused on narratives relating to myth, loneliness, and the passage of time. Her work has been exhibited internationally as well as being widely featured in the press –including the New York Times, M Magazine/Le Monde, Art Review, The Guardian, The Telegraph and Huffington Post.