Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Dream, Imagine, Create, Explore: The Art of Space

Original image by SpaceX


Last night, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa surprised us all when he announced he purchased a private flight to orbit the Moon on SpaceX's under-development rocket BFR to fly not only himself, but also six to eight artist from around the world to create art under the #dearMoon project.

First I want to talk about this image which captured my heart when SpaceX showed it in June. Elon Musk discussed his desire for fun and entertainment on long human spaceflight missions. Although I have no musical talent of my own, I have a lifelong love of the violin which Lindsey Stirling's talent has intensify. This artist's rendering of a violin concert in space is beautiful.

This image invokes questions, wonder, and imagination. What will the acoustics be like in a BFR-sized spacecraft? How will the vibrations of the violin strings sound in the pressurized air? What kind of music and tempo will be inspired by the flight? What natural background noises will contribute to the music? Concerts are visual as well as auditory. Look at the flow of her dress and imagine how fabrics and cuts will move in microgravity. What motions of the musician's violin playing will move her around the room in any direction and orientation? Will she even notice or care? Will she dance? Will she sing? How might the audience hear her music differently if she is upside down, hovering above them? There is so much unexplored art to be discovered in space.

The #dearMoon project is as unprecedented as it is inspired. Picture a spacecraft of artists traveling around the Moon, our closest celestial neighbor, the glowing orb that has universally inspired so many throughout human history. The Moon inspired me on my career path into space science and the space industry. Countless art has been produced with the Moon as a muse, including by Alan Bean, an Apollo 12 astronaut who touched the lunar surface and used the dust from his flightsuit in his paintings.

Like most of the rest of us, these lunar artists will be able to view but not touch the Moon. But they will get a significantly better view of this familiar yet new world than most of us ever will. They will witness humanity once again spreading out into the stars, and this time, their primary mission will not be science, engineering, or political victory. Their primary mission will be art.

As scientist Ellie Arroway said in Carl Sagan's Contact when witnessing humanity's journey through the stars, "No words to describe it. Poetry! They should have sent a poet. So beautiful." Although most of us will not be chosen for this flight, I'd argue we are all artists in our own ways. We all creatively express the emotions and motivations of life and humanity. The #dearMoon project brings out the emotion and humanity in what we do and why we do human spaceflight. It touches us all. I can't think of better representatives to send to the Moon on behalf of humanity than those charged with imagining, dreaming, and creating.

The analyst in me is skeptical this mission will happen, but the soul inside of me hopes it does.


For more information about the #dearMoon project, visit https://dearmoon.earth.

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