Week 9: Space and Art


Blog #9: Space and Art


Neil deGrasse Tyson
This week’s topic was Space and Art. Space is something I’ve been interested in for a long time, and have been learning about more in depth recently. I read Neil deGrasse Tyson’s book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and absolutely loved it. It explains many of the space phenomenon you hear about frequently, but don’t exactly understand: dark matter, dark energy, black holes, etc (Tyson).

One of the topics extensively covered in the lecture was the Cold War, in which the United States and the Soviet Union were racing to establish technological supremacy in nuclear capabilities — and in space exploration. The Soviet Union won the race to get to space first, while the United States was able to put a man on the moon first (Vesna). This reminds me a lot of an article I read recently on the race to equip satellites with weapons. The article stated that Russia has already launched a satellite capable of offensive maneuvers, and the United States is rushing to match them. It dubbed this the “dawn of space warfare,” which was actually pretty scary to me (Daily Beast). Sometimes I hear an idea like this and suddenly feel as though we’re living in the future, and that the world is more complicated than I thought.

Sputnik 1: The first manmade object in space
One result of the Cold War, according to Professor Vesna, was that the educational system was revolutionized, and a lot more government funding was poured into education (Vesna). I think this is partially analogous to the rise of widespread computer programming. We now have an even heavier emphasis on STEM education, and new majors such as computer programming have been added on college campuses. This technology has also assisted in cultivating our understanding of space — computer models help us to simulate solar systems and conditions on other planets, and 3D models help us to engineer increasingly complex engines.

Computers in space shuttle
I think that space exploration is very important to humanity. I don’t believe that we’re on the brink of Earth becoming inhabitable, but I think that the pursuit of space capabilities has led to amazing technologies that we’ve been able to apply on our own planet. I also believe that while space travel may not be necessary for the survival of mankind in the short term, in the long run it will probably greatly assist in our survival.



Works Cited

Axe, David. “Russia's 'Killer Satellites' Re-Awaken.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 19 May 2017, www.thedailybeast.com/russias-killer-satellites-re-awaken.

"A Pale Blue Dot." The Planetary Society Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.

Computing and Spaceflight: An Introduction. NASA, history.nasa.gov/computers/Computing.html.

“Dawn of the Space Age: Story of Sputnik-1, Earth's First Artificial Satellite.” Sputnik International, 4 Oct. 2017, sputniknews.com/science/201710041057942669-sputnik1-history-first-satellite/.

Myers, Josie, and Andrew Jones. “What Is a Flight Simulator?” WiseGEEK, Conjecture Corporation, 6 May 2018, www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-flight-simulator.htm.

Pale Blue Dot. Perf. Carl Sagan. 1997. Videocassette. YouTube, 24 Mar. 2009. Web. <http://youtu.be/wupToqz1e2g>.

“Please Enjoy Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Lonely, Determined Campaign Against The New Year.” Junkee, 2 Jan. 2018, junkee.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-new-year/141150.

Vesna Victoria. "Unit 9 Lecture-Space and Art." 29 July 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZIqTR332l8>.


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