Wed. 09/15 - Civilian? Amateur? Private? Whatever, They're Going to Space!

SpaceX’s Inspiration4 all-civilian crew is blasting off tonight in Cape Canaveral. Here’s everything you need to know about the historic launch. Plus, the Māori Party in New Zealand has introduced a petition to rename the country its Māori language name, Aotearoa. And a newly identified species of insect has been named after RuPaul.

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Links:

• SpaceX's Latest Mission Will Launch Four People Into Orbit (NY Times)
• SpaceX Mission: How to Watch the Inspiration4 Launch (NY Times) 
• Inspiration4: Why SpaceX’s first all-private mission is a big deal (MIT Technology Review)
• Private astronauts are not 'space tourists' (op-ed) (Space.com)
• SpaceX’s All-Civilian Inspiration4 Crew Readies for Launch (Wired)
• The era of orbital private spaceflight truly begins with today’s launch (Ars Technica)
• Inspiration4's call signs: The crew of SpaceX's all-civilian mission have special nicknames (Space.com)
• Inspiration4 Launch: Where to Watch Netflix Livestream (Indie Wire)
• Māori Party campaigns to change New Zealand's name to Aotearoa (CNN)
• Bilingual road signs in Aotearoa New Zealand would tell us where we are as a nation (The Conversation)
• ‘A neat trick’: critics aim to shift Aotearoa debate, but historical fidelity no longer matters (The Guardian)
• ‘Rainbow colours and legs for days’: Australian fly species named after drag star RuPaul (The Guardian)
• Endangered fly with 'legs for days' named after drag queen RuPaul (ABC Australia)
• RuPaul fly among species named by CSIRO (CSIRO)
• Kottke.Org
• Jackson Bird on Twitter

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