“What is it like in
space?” Many astronauts have revealed their own experiences in space through interviews
or articles in newspapers. Humans have always dreamed about spaceflight,
looking into the sky, stars, and planets since antiquity. Physical space exploration
became possible through the development of rockets during the early 20th
century. Space exploration was stimulated by a competition between the United
States and the Soviet Union. The United States and the Soviet Union created
their own missile programs after World War II. More specifically, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into
space on October 4 in 1957. The first moon landing by the American Apollo 11
mission occurred on July 20 in 1969. Since then, humankind has
been exploring space, landing on the Moon, Mars, Venus and Titan together with habitation
on the Skylab, Salyut, MIR space stations and the International Space Station
(ISS). Now, space is no longer a remote frontier, and participation in space research
is now accessible to the public people who are interested in.
Astronaut Marsha
Ivins on board the space shuttle Atlantis in 2001, her fifth mission
Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite orbited Earth at 939 to 215 km
in 1957
NASA’s
administrator James Webb remarked, “Important
events can be interpreted by artists to give a unique insight into significant
aspects of our history-making advances into space. An artistic record of this
nation’s program of space exploration will have great value for future
generations and may make a significant contribution to the history of American
art.” NASA started commissioning artists for documenting and capturing the
drama of their mission on canvas. In NASA’s art program, artists translate
NASA’s mission “to reach for new heights and reveal the unknown” into their amazing
artworks.
NASA/ART: 50 Years of Exploration
“Astronauts on the Moon”
- Before Neil Armstrong walked on the lunar surface; Norman Rockwell provided a
compelling depiction of what the first step on the moon would look like;
Rockwell, seen at top at the Johnson Space
Center, was commissioned by NASA for this work
‘Moonwalk 1’ by
Andy Warhol, 1987 (silkscreen on paper)
“When Thoughts Turn Inward”
- Water color by Henry Casselli.
The painting shows astronaut John Young during
suit-up for the first space shuttle mission.
Like astronauts, artists
are continuously exploring the unknown things. Based on the fact that they can
visualize the visions of future from engineers or scientists, artists can play
the most significant role in the space exploration industry. Now, artists are creating their own institutional frameworks for
cooperative interaction with the wider space and culture communities. The Slovenian
KSEVT (Cultural Center of European Space Technologies) from Vitanje, which
is a remarkable architectural structure, is an example.
Cultural Centre of
European Space Technologies(KSEVT)
“What is it like to
be human in space?” In answering this question or at least getting an idea
about living in space, aerospace artists have been contributing a lot through visualizing space exploration on canvas or other medium.
References
"A Brief History of Space Exploration." The
Aerospace Corporation. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2016.
"An Astronaut Reveals What Life in Space Is Really Like." Wired.com.
Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 28 May 2016.
"Celebrating the Life, the Career & the Art of Robert
McCall." McCall Studios. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2016.
Dunbar, Brian. NASA. NASA, 21 July 2008. Web. 28 May
2016.
"Free Enterprise." Free Enterprise. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 28 May 2016.
Nagy, Attila. "27 Paintings From the Most Famous Space Artist
On Earth (And Off)." Gizmodo. N.p., 24 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 May
2016.
"Space Exploration." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 May 2016.
"SpaceX." SpaceX. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May
2016.
