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Week 9 : Space + Art

Week 9 : Space + Art

In 1957, Russia successfully launched Sputnik, the first satellite, into the space in the history. One can say that the space mission was part of the cold war between the United States and Russia because there was significant competition between the two countries. However, the idea of space travel does not originally come from the cold war but from the artists’ creative works from the long time ago.
“The Man in the Moone” by Domingo Gonsales
The exploration of space is always a fascinating topic and there are numerous science fictions about it. One of the early space science fictions is “The Man in the Moone” by Domingo Gonsales which was published in 1638 which is over 300 years earlier than the Sputnik. The fiction presents the idea of flying higher into the sky using birds and then landing to the moon. Another example of early artist’s works is ‘Le Voyage dans la Lune’ which is ‘A Trip to the Moon’ in English filmed by a French artist Georges Melies. The film shows the group of astronomers traveling to the moon and explore the Moon’s surface and then return to the Earth using a satellite. There might not be the appropriate technology in that moment but I believe the idea of traveling to the moon by artists somewhat raise public awareness of space exploration.
Film: Le Voyage dans la Lune by Georges Méliès (1902)

 It is important to note that not all the credit goes to only artists or scientists in space exploration because there were also the great scientists such as Galileo who has great contribution to physics and astronomy. Both scientists and artists need to work together for the greater success in space. If I recalled our week two lecture, the art of folding paper has helped the Livermore engineers to fold a 5-meters lens to send into the space, which is the great achievement accomplished by the combination of art and science. After all, even though we have successfully entered the space, this is just the first step of the long journey.

The following is NASA live video of Earth from the Space. 



Reference:

Godwin, Francis. The Man in the Moone, Or, A Discourse of a Voyage Thither By Domingo Gonsales the Speedy Messenger. Printed by John Norton, and are to be sold by Ioshua Kirton, and Thomas Warren, 1638.

A Trip to the Moon (HQ 720p Full) - Viaje a la Luna - Le Voyage dans la lune, YouTube. YouTube, Georges Méliès  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FrdVdKlxUk

Helden, Albert Van. "Galileo." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 13 Jan. 2017. Web. 05 June 2017.

Lang, Robert. "The math and magic of origami." Robert Lang: The math and magic of origami | TED Talk | TED.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

NewerDocumentaries. YouTube. YouTube, 04 Apr. 2017. Web. 05 June 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtU_mdL2vBM

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