Elon Musk has many claims to fame, but the first-ever space librarian? When Musk launched his red Tesla Roadster into the cosmos, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy was on board, stored on a quartz disc. Why did Musk choose this series? Maybe it had something to do with the storyline of scientists trying to stave off a galactic dark age. In any case, if visitors from a distant planet ever come here and claim to be Asimov fans, at least we’ll know why. •
Ajay Orona is an associate editor at Alta Journal. He earned a master’s degree from USC Annenberg’s School of Journalism in 2021 and was honored with an Outstanding Specialized Journalism (The Arts) Scholar Award. His writing has appeared in Los Angeles Review of Books, Ampersand, and GeekOut.
