Week 9: Space & Art

I was particularly excited to study this specific unit on “Space & Art” when I enrolled in DESMA 9 because I’ve always been fascinated by the unimaginable aspects of outer space and moreover, the idea of tracing the limits of outer space (or lack thereof…). I thought Professor Vesna’s choice to start off her lectures by showing us the “Powers of 10” video was a really strategic move, because I think that that video successfully remind us of just how SMALL we really are – in comparison to the rest of the gigantic universe. As demonstrated in the “Powers of 10” video, the universe is an extremely complex place – whether we’re looking at it in terms of the size of planet Earth, the Milky Way, OR even in terms of the size of our human cells (“Powers of 10”). By studying outer space, we are able to come to a better understanding of “space,” “size,” and “distance” on several different scales.

Hubble Space Telescope
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html 

I was really interested in Professor Vesna’s discussion of using animals to explore outer space because I think that this idea (once again…) brings up a lot of ethical questions concerning animal rights. (I also touched upon these ethical questions in my blog post for the “BioTech & Art” unit.) Professor Vesna specifically mentioned the Russian dog Laika, who became known as the “Space Dog” seeing as she was the first living animal to enter into orbit (Vesna, “Lecture: 8 Space Pt3 1280x720”). I found an interesting TIME article on Laika, which described the dog as “a stray, picked up from the Moscow streets just over a week before the rocket was set to launch” (Latson). In all honestly, it was hard for me to read through this article because it described Laika’s mission as “a guaranteed suicide mission,” despite the mission’s purpose (which was to test for the safety of human travel into outer space).  Obviously, this mission broaches upon several extremely sensitive ethical questions – but in the end, Laika’s story should not be forgotten seeing as her risky mission probably helped SAVE several human lives.

Remembering Laika

http://www.wallstreetotc.com/remembering-laika-sad-orbit-launch-story-57-years-later/211880/ 

Speaking of the “risk” involved with traveling to outer space, one of my favorite space-related movies, Apollo 13, does an excellent job of demonstrating the dangers of space travel. Directed by Ron Howard, Apollo 13 follows a group of astronauts into outer space and once they enter into orbit, they experience technical difficulties with their spacecraft causing their immediate (and dangerous…) return to planet Earth. 

Apollo 13: Cover Art

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112384/ 

Here is a clip from Apollo 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAmsi05P9Uw

WORKS CITED

“Apollo 13: Cover Art.” IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.

“Houston, We Have a Problem – Apollo 13.” MovieClips. YouTube. 16 July 2011. Web 28 May 2015.

“Hubble Space Telescope.” Digital Image. NASA. Web. 28 May 2015.

Latson, Jennifer. “The Sad Story of Laika, the First Dog Launched into Orbit.” TIME (2014): n. pag. Web. 28 May 2015.

“Powers of Ten (1977).” Eames Office. YouTube. 26 August 2010. Web. 28 May 2015.

“Remembering Laika.” Digital Image. Wall Street OTC. 5 Nov 2014. Web. 28 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture: 8 Space Pt3 1280x720.” UCOnlineProgram. YouTube. 29 July 2013. Web. 28 May 2015.