Astronaut Theology: Monolithic

A reader commented in yesterday's Jack Kirby post that the excavation scene at Tycho in 2001: A Space Odyssey reminded him (or her) of  Ground Zero. That got me reaching for my 2001 DVD to see if there weren't any other clues in the scene I might be able to divine. I did notice this one...

The pit at Tycho sits right beneath Orion's Belt, which is sacred to the space god Osiris. It is here that the astronauts find the Monolith, the ancient alien artifact responsible for mankind's intellectual and technological evolution. 

As was Osiris himself, according to the mythology. I'd say the odds of this being a "coincidence" are about ten-billion-squillion to one-one-thousandth of half a percent, especially given the fact that Orion is already name-checked in the film. 

 Also not coincidentally, the next manned mission to the Moon is the Orion 17. 

 More on 2001 here and here. 

A short post on Kirby's 2001 is here.