Space + Art

"In the area of space recognition, science fiction is absolutely essential. When we are reading the news, we have to remind ourselves of the visions that science fiction writers have offered that scientists have followed." -Professor Vesna

Science fiction deals with imaginary content in futuristic, spacial, or scientific settings, exploring the results of scientific innovations and making it the "literature of ideas." Though some elements are not possible by certain laws of physics, many components of science fiction can be largely possible given the scientific support.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's 1920 novel, Beyond the Planet Earth describes the first true space station, "complete with a greenhouse, a laboratory, a living quarters..." (Vesna, Lecture 1). It is amazing how far spatial technology has come to be able to actually translate Tsiolkovsky's imagination into real life - and more!

People have been working and living in space, around the clock, every single day, for the past ten years. The International Space Station is a collaboration by 15 nations to design, assemble, and conduct research. The largest and longest inhabited object to every orbit earth not only has a laboratory, but an exercise room and a room containing medical equipment, such as an ultrasound. The ISS even has its own live broadcasting station. [Below] The top picture shows a man exercising on CEVIS, and the bottom picture is a sunflower being grown at the International Space Station.

Last weekend, I watched the movie Ender's Game, based upon the 1985 military science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card. The novel is set in earth's future, where mankind is preparing for its third invasion by an outer space insect species called the "Buggers." In doing so, the government recruits children at a very young age and trains them through increasingly difficult war games, including some in zero gravity. In this movie, the training headquarters took place in space, which included entire training arenas! This is a much advanced space setting for Card's 1985 time period, showing once again how science fiction is essential to science.

Science fiction catalyzes the imagination of scientists. After learning about this week's material, I am even further convinced that science and art are intertwined.

SOURCES:

Exercise N.d. Photograph. NASA. 1 Dec 2013.<http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/466x248/public/iss038e007156.jpg?itok=G26H8oPe>

"Konstantin Tsiolkovsky" Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

International Space Station. NASA. 1 Dec 2013 . Web. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/update/index.html#.UpsirWTwJb0

Sunflower N.d. Photograph. NASA. 1 Dec 2013. <http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/466x248/public/iss038e000734.jpg?itok=TSB6fF9Q>

Vesna, Victoria. "Space pt1." DESMA 9. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk>. Lecture