Space + Art

            In the past 8 weeks we have been analyzing how math, science and technology influence art. Today we are combining these fields together and exploring space. The monumental achievement of reaching space required mathematicians, engineers, scientist, and an idea. This idea has been floating around for centuries, it has been seen on ancient Egyptian pyramids, and throughout historic civilizations. The fascination of viewing the stars with the naked eyed has evolved with the help of technology. The instrument created was the telescope by Galileo Galilei in 1609 and it has progressed immensely to what it is today. Below is a picture of a Galileo’s prototype telescope.
 In more recent times, during the 20th century Konstantin Tsiolkovsky described humans colonizing space in his work. He imagined a space station with a greenhouse, laboratory, living quarters, and a docking space for aircrafts (Vesna Lecture 1).  These concepts are being worked on today so they can become a reality in the future. This artistic out of the box thinking combined with science gives any idea an opportunity to become a reality.
            Chesley Bonestell was an American artist who focused his work on space. His work has been featured in Astounding Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, among other articles, book, and movies. The Image below is a painting he completed in 1963. 
This is a perfect example of what scientist now are working on to implement in space when they begin the attempt to colonize. This concept of a greenhouse was recently featured in a major movie film called “The Martian” starring Matt Damon. Food and water is vital for life and if humans can reach cultivation on a different planet, life will follow. There is a scene from The Martian where Matt Damon tries to grow potatoes in space; and now scientist in Peru are experimenting different species of potatoes in a laboratory with a similar environment as Mars. The scientist hope one day the potatoe will be the first food grown and consumed on Mars. Below is the video of the scientist explaining their goals of the experiment.
Bonestell, Chesley. “Colony on Mars under plastic domes”.1963 .Image.

EamesOffice. "Powers of Ten™ (1977)." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Aug. 2010. Web. 02 June 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0>.

Ghani, Mikal. “60,000 miles up: Space elevator could be built by 2035, says new study''” PRI. N.p., Dec 2016.

Lant, Karla. “SpaceX Just Broke a Major Milestone in Commercial Space Travel'” Futurism. N.p., May 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. “Space and Art: Part 2.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 04 June 2017.

            

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 7, 2017 at 2:19 PM

    I completely agree with what you said about the need for there to be an idea in order for there to be an innovation. In my blog, I talked about how original science fiction shows such as the Jetsons gave rise to ideas that resulted in innovations that have been implemented today. However, I didn't actually consider that this is an ongoing thing and that movies and shows continue to inspire future innovations.

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