With a storied resume that includes the creation and development of the landmark Ultima franchise, it is fair to say that Richard Garriot is at the very least, gaming royalty. I guess it was somewhat fitting that within his own games he went by the moniker, “Lord British.” But this news story isn’t as much about his contributions to gaming as it is about the interstellar milestones that he has set.
In 2008, Garriot set off to become only the sixth pedestrian to ever go into space, when he docked with the International Space Station on October 12th. Amazingly enough, after spending twelve days in orbit, that doesn’t seem to be his only contribution to interstellar history. It looks as if the British entrepreneur also owns the first ever piece of private property ON THE MOON!
“I am the world’s only private owner of an object on a celestial body,” [Garriot] says.
The object he’s referring to is the Lunokhod 2 rover. The Lunokhod 2 is a Russian space vehicle that landed on the moon in 1973 — and stopped working that same year. Even though no one knew exactly where the rover was, it went up for sale at a 1993 Sotheby’s auction in New York, and Garriott handed over $68,500 for it.
Last Monday, scientists spotted the Lunokhod 2 rover for the first time in 37 years.
“As soon as I saw this new data, I did a recheck of the findings, and there’s no question that they have the right target. It’s my Lunokhod 2,” Garriott says.
Garriott says he’s thrilled to finally have photos of his “private flag sitting on the moon.” — via All Things Considered
There is one thing to be rich, but this is just downright ridiculous! That said, there is something amazing about the fact that without gaming, none of this could have ever happened. Now if you don’t mind, I think I am going to see what Sputnik is selling for these days…
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