In a bid to implement groundbreaking technology and possibly dispel long-held conspiracy theories about lunar landings, NASA is planning to use blockchain technology to verify its upcoming Moon landings.
In partnership with Florida-based computing startup Lonestar and the Isle of Man, NASA intends to launch a “data cube” payload to the Moon in February 2024. These data cubes will contain various pieces of information, all verifiable using blockchain technology back on Earth. If all goes according to plan, this same technology will be used during NASA’s second crewed mission, Artemis 3, in 2025 to confirm indisputably that humans have returned to the lunar surface.
Despite this significance and NASA’s ambitious plans, doubts remain about the feasibility and reliability of such system. The time-tested argument for the blockchain as an unstoppable, immutable proof-of-truth may come under scrutiny as the technology heads to space. With such a significant historical event on the line, the potential for error and discrepancy cannot be dismissed lightly.
For enthusiasts of both space exploration and blockchain technology, a successful implementation could signify a marriage between two of mankind’s most exciting frontiers. Conversely, a failure could validate skeptics. The stakes are high and the world watches as these unlikely bedfellows venture into a new era of transparency and technological marriage.
Continuous concerns around the veracity of the 20th-century lunar landings persist, as the head of innovation at Digital Isle of Man recently conveyed how difficult NASA found it to dispel the rumors that it fabricated the six crewed Moon landings between 1969 and 1972. While the blockchain cannot change the past or convince malcontent skeptics, it holds the potential to create a new standard of accountability for the lunar tales yet to be written.
NASA’s Artemis mission represents the first major step towards using blockchain technology to verify interplanetary exploration. And although the enthusiasm is palpable, it’s crucial to keep an open mind towards potential setbacks or challenges. This unlikely partnership between space exploration and blockchain technology may just be humanity’s latest ambitious leap into the unknown, but it might change the course of both fields forever. The implications are staggering and the world will be watching with bated breath. After all, as the saying goes, “To the moon!” – could now refer as much to blockchain as it does to space exploration.
Source: Cointelegraph
