Week 9: Space and Art- The Inifinite Frontier of Imagination
I enjoy how Professor Vesna focuses on understanding the history of science, especially with this week's content on the convergence of Space and Art. Her lectures started by discussing Copernicus' model, placing the Sun at the center of the solar system, a concept not necessarily new at his time, but one he detailed mathematically. It's incredible to think that in Ancient Roman times, they were just as fascinated by the sky, stars, and planets, where deities were named after the planets of Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn. Even after thousands of years, human thought and imagination are just as intrigued by Space and what that means for us as a species.
Copernicus- Solar System
Bridging the lessons of nanotechnology from last week to this week, the same nanotechnology plays a significant role in space exploration, such as the discovery of buckyballs in Sudbury, Canada, with their extraterrestrial origins. Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers discovered buckyballs in solid form in Space.
Spitzer Space Telescope- NASA
Professor Vesna mentioned that the discovery of buckyballs inspired the concept of space elevators, a science fiction idea made real by NASA's plan. A great example of space technology influencing the Art of science fiction. Science fiction is a wonderful expression of how humans can view and imagine the future of exploration and ideas. Movies such as Star Wars and Dune depict different visions of space stations. Real-life engineers such as Yuri Artisuttanov and American Oceanographer John Isaacs have proposed space elevators. These ideas inspire NASA's plans, often turning science fiction into reality, which is the amazing interplay between Art and Space.
Laika- Russian Space Dog
What I found particularly interesting was learning about the first missions to Space. One of the first was the Russian Launch of Laika, a stray Russian dog. The mission ended tragically because the spacecraft's batteries died, but Laika is forever etched into history.
I think it is so important to recognize the pioneers and the bravery required for the first missions into Space, such as NASA missions that include the Apollo 1 fire that killed three astronauts, the Apollo 13 mission, which aborted its lunar landing due to an oxygen tank explosion, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. All these missions are crucial to understanding Space and exploring the Universe!
Watching clips from "The Jetsons" was fun because it's just one example of how science fiction shapes public perception of space exploration.
Shows like "Star Trek", "Planet Stories", and "Lost in Space" are just other examples that Professor Vesna mentioned that influenced contemporary space exploration and public imagination. Whenever there is a space launch, whether from NASA or even a private company like SpaceX, social media is littered with people sharing their excitement, nervousness, and wonder. Countries still compete to be the first to find potential new life or environments outside of Earth that may allow humans to live on, such as Mars.
Makrolab, Rottnest Island Australia, 2000
Lastly, I read the article "Coded Utopia" that discusses the Makrolab Project by Marko Peljhan, which is an example linking art and space. The project of a "Stranded Space Station" based on a modular design that mimics the appearance of a stranded space station is an amazing artistic expression of space aesthetics. Pelijhan really immersed himself in understanding high-tech engineering, computerized communications systems, and zero-gravity theatrical performances to design his environments. His art project explores many themes that are relevant to space exploration, like human isolation and human interaction with foreign environments. He played around with a lot of spatial components. Being able to reflect these ideas and concepts of space and science through art is creative and illuminating.
References
CODED UTOPIA. (2009, May 18). Continental Drift. https://brianholmes.wordpress.com/2007/03/27/coded-utopia/
George, A. (2022, November 2). The sad, sad story of Laika, the space Dog, and her One-Way trip into orbit. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sad-story-laika-space-dog-and-her-one-way-trip-orbit-1-180968728/
Makrolab - V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media. (n.d.). V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media. https://v2.nl/works/makrolab
Novak, M. (2013, November 16). 50 Years of the Jetsons: Why the show Still Matters. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/50-years-of-the-jetsons-why-the-show-still-matters-43459669/
UC Online. (2013, July 29). 8 space pt2 1280x720 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLZMDpoP-u0
Wikipedia contributors. (2025i, May 15). Nicolaus Copernicus. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus
Image Citations
"Copernicus and the Solar System", Image by WikiImages, from Pixabay. CC0
"Laika, Spitnuk 2", Smithsonian Magazine, 18 April 2008, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sad-story-laika-space-dog-and-her-one-way-trip-orbit-1-180968728/
"The Jetsons", RottenTomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_jetsons_1962
"Makrolab", Coded Utopia, https://brianholmes.wordpress.com/2007/03/27/coded-utopia/
Hi Jack,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you brought up Laika the cosmonaut dog. I actually wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid, but here I am now, being shown up by a dog. Anyways, I've always been intrigued about the ethics of using animal subjects for scientific research. Sending animals to space begs the question: Is it ethical to send a lifeform that which cannot give consent into environments in which they might not be entirely comfortable in? Well if I was a dog, I would want to be put into space. I think that would be cool.
Hi Jack! I really enjoyed reading your blog post this week. I too thought it was fascinating to hear that that there are are so many examples of space and art in modern media today. As a long time fan of the movie "The Martian" it is pretty interesting to see the different representations of space in a creatively expressed way.
ReplyDeleteHiii Jack, I loved how you mentioned about the Russian Space dog. I had heard about this dog a while back but never knew some of the finer details. So when I came across your blog and saw and read the portion about the dog, a little lightbulb turned on in my head for sure. Definitelt sparked up and old memory, but it was just so crazy how a dog has been to space. Yet not even half of the world's population has even had a taste of space in any way shape or form. Just so crazy you know!
ReplyDeleteHi Jack,
ReplyDeleteMuch like everyone else mentioned, I also liked how you brought up Laika and how a dog was the first living being to orbit the Earth. I had not previously known this before learning about it in lecture this week and found it fascinating! I completely agree with you that despite the mission being cut short, Laika is forever etched into history and also contributed hugely to the advancements in space exploration as we know it.
Hi Jack! I really enjoyed reading your post. I found it super interesting when you mentioned the Dog. I found it so fascinating that they used a dog! I also did not know that they killed three astronauts in the apollo mission. It is so interesting to read how something as small as buckyballs has cosmic implications. It is amazing and a little heart breaking to see how far we have come since the early space missions.
ReplyDeleteHi Jack, I love how you connected the history of astronomy, from Copernicus to ancient Rome, with the way art and science fiction inspire modern space exploration. The examples you gave of NASA’s technology, Laika’s story, and projects like Makrolab really show how space is both a scientific and a creative inspiration. It’s amazing to see how science fiction and real-life missions keep pushing our imagination and understanding of the universe. Great job highlighting artistic vision behind space exploration!
ReplyDelete