Week 5: Space + Art

            Throughout this course, we’ve seen art and technology evolve hand in hand, and space exploration presents no exception. Across history, people have looked to the space with great fascination. Our ancient ancestors found and named patterns in the stars, giving birth to constellations.

Constellations: artistic interpretation of the heavens

Source: <http://www.universetoday.com/19516/constellations/>

            As technology enabled us to learn more about space, artists took that information and extrapolated on it, playing on the public interest of the unknown. Ray Bradbury’s short stories from the 1940’s and 50’s, later compiled into “The Martian Chronicles,” imagines the colonization of Mars and the conflicts that could arise between the colonists and native Martians.

Cover art for "The Martian Chronicles,"envisioning aboriginal Martians and their planet

Source: <http://dear-american.com/2013/01/23/rereading-the-martian-chronicles/>

            After the launch of the Sputnik satellite propelled us into the Space Age, kicking off the space race and putting space exploration at the forefront of public consciousness, the prevalence of space travel in popular culture exploded. The advert for the TV series “Lost In Space” commented that the show’s characters are “taking off for the stars, a journey that no longer seems as far out and fantastic as it would have only a few years ago, for now we live in the space age” (Vesna, 2012).

            The concept of space exploration in popular culture isn’t limited to film and television series such as The Jetsons and Star Trek. The infamous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 2014 issue features model Kate Upton floating in zero gravity.

Swimsuit model Kate Upton in zero gravity

Source: <http://swimsuit.si.com/swimsuit/models/kate-upton/zero-g-photos>

Additionally, artists have the ability to use space as a medium, such as in Joe Davis’ Microvenus that was discussed in BioTech+Art.

            Space exploration development in the United States has begun to transfer from governmental organizations such as NASA to private companies such as SpaceX, potentially starting a new age in consumer-driven space travel. This era could present a host of complex issues, such as who has territorial or mining rights on extraterrestrial bodies.

Works Cited

Bachman, Justin. "Elon Musk Wants SpaceX to Replace Russia as NASA's Space Station Transport." Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg, 30 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-30/elon-musk-wants-spacex-to-replace-russia-as-nasas-space-station-transport>.

Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1958. Print.

Dickson, Paul. "Sputnik's Impact on America." PBS, 06 Nov. 2007. Web. 26 July 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/sputnik-impact-on-america.html>.

Hussain, Zareena. "Science as Art Unites Disciplines." The Tech. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 9 May 2000. Web. 28 July 2014. <http://tech.mit.edu/V120/N26/bioartists.26f.html>.

Kramer, Miriam. "Kate Upton Goes Zero-G for Sports Illustrated's 2014 Swimsuit Issue." Space. 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 28 July 2014. <http://www.space.com/24726-kate-upton-zero-g-sports-illustrated.html>.

Miller, Todd. "Space Exploration and the Culture of Innovation." SF Gate, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://blog.sfgate.com/tmiller/2012/03/28/space-exploration-and-the-culture-of-innovation-an-interview-with-neil-degrasse-tyson/>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Space Pt5." YouTube. University of California Online Program, 30 May 2012. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnSUHMXBmdg>.