Week 9 Blog: Space + Art

            Space is possibly the most inspiring subject for science and art to draw ideas from. An infinite space holds infinite possibilities making it very hard to rule out anything as impossible. This idea is what inspired the artists of the space age, as they envisioned the rockets and other gadgetry that could be possible with the rapid advancement of technology. Even though there have been many bad byproducts from the obsession with space, some truly amazing inventions and idea have come from it as well (Turysheva, 2013). And while the space age greatly influenced popular art, it also took hold in other disciplines such as architecture and automotive design (Ngo, 2011).

Figure 1: LAX Theme Building, one of the most iconic structures from the Space Age

Figure 2: Chrysler Turbine Car Concept, powered by a jet engine

            It is also interested how fantastical interpretations have accurately preceded what is actually thought to be possible in today's world. While the Jetsons flying cars are not quite a reality in today's world, George Jetsons' talking watch has been realized through smart watches like the Apple Watch which integrates Siri as a virtual personal assistant (CBS News, 2013).

Figure 3: Jetsons version of talking watch vs. Apple Watch of today

            In an even more remarkable prediction, Star Trek appears to have fairly accurately predicted the shape of a faster-than-light ship (Schmidt, 2014). Even though the rings around the ship are not included on the original USS Enterprise, the inner ship's shape is relatively similar to that of the Star Trek ship.

Figure 4: NASA rendering of faster-than-light spaceship

Figure 5: Star Trek USS Enterprise for comparison to NASA rendering

            Space appears to have brought out some of the best art and science combinations that we have seen up until now. Scientists and artists alike continue to push boundaries when it comes to space, but so far no one has been able to touch the beauty of space itself as shown below (NASA.gov, 2015).

Figure 6: Pillars of Creation as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope

Works Cited

"Hubble Goes High-Definition to Revisit Iconic 'Pillars of Creation'" NASA. NASA, 5 Jan. 2015. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-goes-high-definition-to-revisit-iconic-pillars-of-creation>.

Ngo, Denise. "Archive Gallery: How the Space Age Influenced Design." Popular Science. 3 June 2011. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-06/archive-gallery-how-space-age-influenced-design?image=4>.

Schmidt, Caitlin. "NASA Physicist Imagines a Warp-speed Starship - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 June 2014. Web. 27 May 2015.< http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/12/tech/innovation/warp-speed-spaceship/>.

"The "retro-future" of "The Jetsons"" CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 May 2015.< http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-retro-future-of-the-jetsons/>.

Turysheva, Ekaterina. "Five Ideas That Anticipated the Space Age | Russia Beyond The Headlines." Five Ideas That Anticipated the Space Age | Russia Beyond The Headlines. 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://rbth.com/science_and_tech/2013/09/30/five_ideas_that_anticipated_the_space_age_30361.html>.