Week 9: Space and Art

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Book cover for Fountains
of Paradise
Image result for space elevator
Artist rendering of a space elevator

What has continued to fascinate me about the topics we cover in this course is how each different field overlaps with one another. The most recent case of this is the overlap between nanotechnology and space. This crossover makes sense, seeing that nanotech and space are both rapidly advancing fields with great potential for discovery. One of the most well known examples of these two subjects interacting with each other is the potential use of carbon nanotubes for the creation of a space elevator, a concept initially described within the science fiction novel Fountains of Paradise. While this idea is still in a conceptual form (and there is new research showing that carbon nanotube space elevators are not realistic due to the fact that carbon nanotubes lose a significant amount of structural integrity from just a single molecule being out of place), it will be interesting to see how this current idea influences future space travel developments.

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SpaceX's founder's Tesla flying through space
Another aspect of space that interests me is how much our cultural values have shifted the way we research and development space technology. The first big period of advancement in space tech was during the Cold War where progress was fueled by competition between the US and Russia. Because of the Cold War, the US public supported any advancement that would put them ahead of the Russians (and vice versa), leading to the government-funded developments by NASA. Now that the war has ended, however, space exploration is driven more by curiosity and business than competition between countries. This is seen in the shift away from government-funded research by NASA to private research done by companies like Virgin Galactic and SpaceX. With this shift occurring over the course of only about 40 years, I'm interested to see how or if the influences on space development will change within my lifetime.



Work Cited:

History.com Staff. “The Space Race.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010, www.history.com/topics/space-race.

“Nanotechnology in Space.” UnderstandingNano.com, Hawk's Perch Technical Writing, www.understandingnano.com/space.html.

Stafford, Lee. Fountains of Paradise. Worldwide, 1980.

Whittaker, G. Clay. “Carbon Nanotubes Can't Handle a Space Elevator.” Popular Science, Popular Science, 15 June 2016, www.popsci.com/carbon-nanotubes-cant-handle-space-elevator.

Vesna, Victoria. "Space and Art, Part 1-6," YouTube.

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