Ryan M. Blog 9

Space & Art

 The idea of a space elevator has fascinated me since I was a child. I could always imagine slowly rising through the atmosphere before feeling the weightlessness of space. As nanotechnology is being rapidly developed, the space elevator is gradually making its shift from the realm of science fiction into an actual possibility. The formation of complex sheets and tubes of linked nanostructures will enable us to create massive structures that have a level of strength and flexibility not currently available in any of our building materials. There are many factors limiting our ability to build a space elevator and one of the biggest limitations will be the overall weight of the structure.  Using nanotechnology to develop lighter materials such as graphene will enable us to extend our reach to the sky. It will be our own Tower of Babylon by finally allowing us to reach the heavens with relative ease. Yet there will be many hurdles to jump and a project of that magnitude will come with serious risks.


https://www.newscientist.com/article/2306900-quantum-friction-explains-strange-way-water-flows-through-nanotubes/

The largest impact of art on space travel and exploration would have to be the creative genre of science fiction. For the last century or more many of the futuristic inventions and technological leaps were first thought of and acknowledged in the realm of science fiction.  Everything from the rocket to the moon landing were first wild ideas that never seemed possible at the time.  Yet scientists take these ideas and continually make them into reality.  Science fiction truly is just science we can fathom yet don't fully understand. Hopefully soon we will truly be able to understand and create the vision of the future many of the authors of the past imagined for us.


https://i.pinimg.com/550x/2c/b5/d9/2cb5d901a04dd7486dcf9671cf849459.jpg

There have been countless iterations of various space adventures over the years but by far my favorite science fiction film is "Interstellar" due to their inclusion of actual physics in the production of the film. By incorporating elements such as time dilation and antigravity engineering the film introduces a large audience to the actual effects of physics on space exploration. Also there was no sound in space during "Interstellar" which is always a pet peeve of mine.  Sound does not travel in space. Things do not explode in a vacuum either and fire cannot burn the way it is often portrayed. 


https://media.gq-magazine.co.uk/photos/5d139495b6fee9b1fac9e6ef/16:9/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Interstellar-02-GQ-30Oct14_pr_b.jpg




Image Sources:

Ly, Chen. “Quantum Friction Explains Strange Way Water Flows through Nanotubes.” NewScientist, 2 Feb. 2022, https://www.newscientist.com/article/2306900-quantum-friction-explains-strange-way-water-flows-through-nanotubes/. Accessed 23 May 2022.

Pham, Tuanminh. “Futuristic Spaceship.” Pinterest, 2017, https://www.pinterest.com/tuanminh1966/futuristic-spaceship/. Accessed 23 May 2022.

Quilty-Harper, Conrad. “A Guide to the Science behind Interstellar.” GQ, 3 Nov. 2014, https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/interstellar-science-guide-relativity-time-dilation-black-hole-gargantua. Accessed 23 May 2022.

References:

  Wilson, Jim. “NASA/Space Tech.” NASA, NASA, 10 May 2022, https://www.nasa.gov/.

  Gatland, Kenneth William, and Anthony M. Kunesch. Space Travel / by Kenneth W. Gatland and Anthony M. Kunesch. Illustrated by Photos. and Drawings. Drawings by J.W. Wood and R.A. Smith. New York: Philosophical Library, 1953. Print.

  “Nanotech in Space: Rensselaer Experiment To Weather the Trials of Orbit.” M2 Presswire 2009: n. pag. Print.

  Terranova, Maria Letizia, and Emanuela Tamburri. Nanotechnology in Space. Milton: Jenny Stanford Publishing, 2021. Web.

  Haynes, Roslynn D., Susan M. Gaines, and Sina Farzin. Under the Literary Microscope Science and Society in the Contemporary Novel  / Edited by Sina Farzin, Susan M. Gaines, and Roslynn D. Haynes. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2021. Web.






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