Video encoding pioneer Sam Blackman, the late Founder and CEO of Elemental, signed off an interview with International Space Station US Commander Peggy Whitson last year, orbiting 250 miles above Earth, with: “How do you imagine the future of NASA in terms of where advanced imaging will take you next? Say, maybe Mars?” Blackman’s question was a fitting metaphor for the trajectory of Elemental as a company, entering a tough market and surmounting all odds to overhaul Envivio’s lead in software encoding – until eventually becoming a pivotal cog within the AWS cloud juggernaut today. This brings us to an awkward stage in AWS Elemental’s journey, now that no customer announcement or new product launch conceals the element of surprise…