Event 3: The California Science Center

On Saturday, June 1st, I was visited the California Science Center, located in Los Angeles, with my father. Although I had visited the California Science Center previously with my middle school, the trip with my father this time around was still very interesting and enjoyable, as I was able to view some exhibits that I did not recall visiting with during my previous trip. One of the first things that struck me about the incredible variety of exhibits that the California Science Center holds is the two hanging fighter jets that are displayed as you first enter into the center. One of the jets, the F-20 Tigershark, was actually a fighter jet designed by Northrop that was never purchased or mass-produced, and the one on display at the center is the last prototype of that model in existence. The other jet, the Northrop T-38 Talon, was the first twin engine, high-altitude supersonic jet trainer aircraft. In addition to these fighter jets, my father and I also visited a number of other air and space exhibits throughout the California Science Center, including the Apollo-Soyuz Command Module. This exhibit was very interesting to me because of its history, as this module was used by American astronauts to rendezvous with a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in Earth’s orbit. Cooperation between the Soviet Union and United States in the field of space exploration was not a usual site, as the two were constantly competing against each other for numerous years, so it was interesting and surprising to actually view an exhibit that signified this cooperation. 

However, the most memorable and enjoyable part of my experience at the California Science Center was visiting the Endeavor Space Shuttle. The Endeavor Space Shuttle completed 25 missions in space, and it was incredibly interesting to view the large size and details of the spacecraft. One of largest components of the Endeavor Space Shuttle were its main engines, which, in conjunction with the large rocket boosters, provided the space shuttle with over one and a half million pounds of thrust! Viewing the Endeavor Space shuttle reminded me of the correlation between space and art, as its explorations of space not only provided scientists with information about the cosmos, but also inspired artists to create more advanced and lifelike representations of the universe through films and novels. 

Week 9: Space + Art

This week’s topic about space and art is the most unique topic that we have covered throughout the quarter so far, because it not only combines all of the previous topics into one discipline, but also because of the vast uncertainty of space that allows for the unlimited imagination of what space actually is. Humans have been interested by the stars for thousands of years, as the ancients built massive monuments, such as Stonehenge, to track the movement of the Sun and stars. Our understanding of space increased during the Renaissance Era, as scientists such as Copernicus made discoveries that shined some light on how the universe works, but the actual exploration of space was still very primitive and various major components of the universe remained unknown. 

Portrait of Copernicus 

It was not until the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 on October 4th, 1957, that our understanding of space exploration was elevated to an unprecedented level. This event sparked a major space race between the two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, as they each competed to make breakthroughs and discoveries in the field of space exploration. For example, the Soviet Union became the first country to send a biological organism into space when they launched a dog named Laika into Earth’s orbit in November of 1957. This was immediately followed by the launch of Ham, a chimpanzee, into space by the United States. This heightened level of competition between the two rivals would ultimately pave the way for the first man on the moon, as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to land on the moon during the Apollo 11 space mission. 

Laika, the first dog in space

The space race not only helped to create scientific breakthroughs in the field of space exploration, but it also sparked an interest in space that had never previously been present in society. It was very interesting to see how different artists portrayed their interest in space through movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Jetsons, and Star Wars. This interest in space has only increased through the years, as artists today have attempted to create more advanced portrayals of the universe through films such as Interstellar, Gravity, and The Martian. 

A scene from the movie Interstellar

Sources: 

Jarus, Owen. “Stonehenge: Facts & Theories About Mysterious Monument.” LiveScience, Purch, 18 Aug. 2017, www.livescience.com/22427-stonehenge-facts.html. 

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt1”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZIqTR332l8.

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt2”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLZMDpoP-u0.

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt3”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=481&v=4WOqt_C55Mk. 

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt4”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ClKO6AJPo. 

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt5”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnSUHMXBmdg. 

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt6”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYmOtFjIj0M.