Space + Art

The vastness of our universe has been a captivating field of study for artists and scientists from the beginning of time. All of the topics from this class come together in space and create extraordinary discoveries. Nanotechnology, biotechnology, and robots bring the two cultures together and have allowed scientists to develop atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, and rockets. In turn, their knowledge has allowed artists to create works that exploit the unknown and feed publics fascination with outer space. Some of the most significant events that occurred during the space age changed history for art and science.

This image captures the vastness of space

Although scientists have discovered approximately 100 billion other galaxies, 96% of the universe still remains unknown. In Carl Sagan’s video called “the pale blue dot,” he described the Earth as a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. He viewed our planet as “a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.” This allows artists and film producers to use their imagination and create extraterrestrial universes geared toward the public’s curiosity with space. The filmmaking industry has flourished with so many works dedicated to space exploration. For example, I find movies such as Gravity, Star Wars, and E.T very intriguing because although they are all very different, there is no right or wrong interpretation of the unknown universe. There is still so much that is unknown. Robotics are currently being used in space to explore nearby planets in pursuit for life elsewhere. Curiosity is the latest rover on Mars, Magellen is orbiting Venus, and Galileo and Cassini are probing Saturn and Jupiter.

The tiny pale blue dot represents Earth to scale in the universe

The advancement of technology in just the past few decades has allowed us to further explore the depths of our universe. Astronomy has come a long way since Sputnik I was launched by the USSR on October 4^th 1957. This event struck fear and paranoia in America that the terrorists were more technologically advanced and had the upper hand in the arms race. President Eisenhower reacted by speeding up the U.S space program. The United States launched the satellite Explorer I on January 31^st, 1958, marking the beginning of the “space race.”

Sputnik I was about the size of a beach ball and polished so that it could reflect light and be seen from the ground

"8 Space Pt1." YouTube. Uconlineprogram, 29 July 2013. Web. 31 May 2015.

"8 Space Pt3."YouTube. Uconlineprogram, 29 July 2013. Web. 31 May 2015.

Launius, Roger D. "Sputnik and the Origins of the Space Age.” Histroy.nasa.gov, n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.

Sagan, Carl. "A Pale Blue Dot." A Pale Blue Dot. The Planetary Society, n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.

Brown, David W. "15 Ongoing Space Missions You Should Know About." Mental Floss. N.p., 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 31 May 2015.

"Soviet Union Launches Sputnik I." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.

Writer, Clara Moskowitz SPACE.com Senior. "Missing: 96 Percent of the Universe | Dark Matter & Dark Energy | The 4% Universe, Richard Panek | Space.com." What's 96 Percent of the Universe Made Of? Astronomers Don't Know. Space.com, 12 May 2011. Web. 31 May 2015.