Week 9: Space + Art

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Space has been a topic of fascination for myself and many other humans. The sheer magnitude of the universe is more than we can comprehend but the Powers of Ten video does a great job of putting the smallness of Earth and humans into perspective in relation to the universe. Even though we cannot fully understand space and the universe, humans have incorporated space into many aspects of our culture.
Powers of Ten
Space has influenced TV with shows like The Jetsons (1962), Star Trek (1966) and Lost in Space (1965) which were all first aired during a time of great advancements in space travel, the Space Race. Sputnik, the first satellite in space and launched by the USSR, was sent into orbit on October 4, 1957.  The first human in, Yuri Gagaran, space was sent up in 1961 and the first American, Alan Shepard, was sent in 1962. And, in July 1962, the first man in human history set foot on the moon. Space has also influenced the film industry which led to the creation of movies like Star Wars, Star Trek and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Time Magazine cover illustrating "The Space Race". 
Human culture has also influenced space as well. For example, in his novel The Fountains of Paradise, Arthur C. Clarke describes a "space elevator" which is a "giant structure rising from the ground and linking with a satellite in a geo-stationary orbit at a height of approximately 36,000 kilometers" (Vesna). This orbital structure would be used to transport items to orbit without the financially-taxing use of rockets. This concept, created in 1976, is currently being developed by NASA so the "space elevator" could soon go from fiction to reality. The recent developments for the "space elevator" incorporates the topic of nanotechnology which we covered in last week's lecture. The "space elevator" would be crafted from ribbons made from carbon nanotubes according to Professor Vesna.
Space Elevator. 

References:

Loff, Sarah. “Apollo 11.” NASA, NASA, 16 Mar. 2015, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo-11.html.

Office, Eames. “Powers of Ten™ (1977).” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Aug. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0.

Online, UC. “Space Pt IV.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 May 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=162&v=J5ClKO6AJPo.

Vesna, V. (2019). Art and Space Part I. [Video Lecture]. Retrieved from https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/1067208/pages/unit-9-view?module_item_id=26086663. 

 Vesna, V. (2019). Art and Space Part VI. [Video Lecture]. Retrieved from https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/1067208/pages/unit-9-view?module_item_id=26086663. 

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