29 July 2007

A 21st Century job title


"a space heritage archaeologist"

I am serious. The Discovery Channel reports on how tourism threatens historic landing sites on the moon.

The sanctity of the first moon landing site is threatened by the dawn of a new race to put tourists in space, according to one researcher.

Beth O'Leary, a space heritage archaeologist from New Mexico State University, said this includes the imprints of man's first steps on the moon, which were made at Tranquillity Base almost 40 years ago, and remain on its surface.

I don't imagine a new major here at Rutgers in the immediate future. But it sounds like a cool career path with great travel potential. On a more serious note, when we talk about social and historic inventories in class, it is yet another reminder of how many different things fall within that domain.

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