A Canadian author from New Brunswick is set to have her literary work showcased on the lunar surface. Jennifer Shelby’s compilation of short stories, titled “Borrowed Wings and other stories,” will be part of the Lunar Codex project, a collection of cultural expressions worldwide, initiated through NASA’s Artemis program.
Rather than simply depositing the physical book on the moon’s exterior, the content will be inscribed using a unique metal-based technology akin to microfilm. This novel approach, spearheaded by Samuel Peralta, a physicist and author hailing from Canada, involves utilizing NanoFiche technology to craft durable, miniature representations of artworks on nickel.
Peralta’s Lunar Codex project, which features contributions from over 264 countries and territories, also includes representations from 156 Indigenous nations. The initiative involves selling space on lunar missions to private entities desiring to place items on the moon, with the cost amounting to $1 million per kilogram due to the high cost of transporting objects to the moon.
Shelby, known for her enchanting tales described as contemporary fairytales, views the prospect of her work being preserved in the Lunar Codex as a surreal realization of her storytelling. Following a request from Peralta in 2022 to archive her book on the moon, Shelby, who resides in Riverside-Albert near the Bay of Fundy, expresses a mix of wonder and anticipation at the thought of her work being part of this lunar archive.
Scheduled for inclusion in an upcoming lunar mission this winter, Shelby’s story reflects the fusion of art and science, offering a unique opportunity for her creativity to reach new celestial heights. Inspired by the moon’s mystique and her own imaginative narratives, Shelby envisions a future where even extraterrestrial beings like tardigrades might one day discover and appreciate human stories etched into the vastness of space.