“Space Connectors: The
Astronauts of the Connector World.” by Renee Borage.
“Space:
the final frontier. You've made it!”. Professor Vesna starts
our last lecture of this class with this fitting yet saddening line.
Space is vast as demonstrated in the “Power of Ten” video. It
encompasses us and everything out there; there is still much to be
discovered! Society has definitely been influenced by space and
space exploration nonetheless. The lectures lists many examples like
a TV show called Star Trek and a novel called A Fountain of
Paradise.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Logo.
One example that caught my eye was the
forceful shift in the United States education system. The Soviet
Union launched Sputnik and started the Space Race. October 4, 1957
was known as the Sputnik Moment, the day that defined time as what
came before and what came after this moment. The U.S., in an attempt
to catch up, formed NASA. Schools started to receive more funding in math, science, and
foreign languages to help develop students to compete with the
Soviets. The U.S. actually had a decent education system, as shown
from the U.S. scientists and engineers that helped win the WWII, and
there were already plans for better coursework in the future. The
Space Race, however, accelerated those plans while educators seized
the opportunity for more government money. It’s interesting how one
small moment can change a system that I’m currently living in. If a
stress in the sciences wasn’t present, I wonder if I would be an
engineering student at UCLA.
Western Zodiacs and Astrology.
Chinese Zodiacs and Astrology.
Outside the Space Race, space has
already been influencing cultures. A prime example is sun sign
astrology. It was invented by R.H. Naylor who claimed he predicted
the crash of the R101 airship using the sun and stars, specifically
relating the current movements of all the planets to each other. Sun
sign astrology includes the Western Zodiacs and their associated
elements, quality, polarity, celestial body/planet, and the sun sign
period. In Chinese culture, it uses a lunar calendar which is based
on the cycles of the lunar phase. From the moon, Chinese astrology
and the Chinese Zodiacs are derived. Lastly, in pop culture, Lady
Gaga confirmed that she will be the first recording artist to sing in
space in early 2015. She was given a Virgin Galactic ticket to
perform. In the lecture, we know that SpaceShipOne won the AnsariX
Prize. The Virgin Group and Scaled Composites, under the name Virgin Galactic, continued the project to carry passengers to space in a commercial spacecraft fleet. People want to venture out to space and
it seems like it's very possible in the near future. Future
accomplishments will be literally out of this world.
“Lady Gaga
Confirms: I'm Going to Be the First Recording Artist to Sing in
Space.” by Nicole Eggenberger.
Yours truly,
Calvin Cam
Works Cited
Borage, Renee. “Space Connectors: The
Astronauts of the Connector World.” Positronic, 14 Jun. 2013. Web.
22 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.connectpositronic.com/blog/space-connectors/>.
“Chinese Zodiac.” The Art Institute
of Chicago, 2000. Web. 22. Nov 2013.
<http://www.artic.edu/taoism/diag-zodiac.php>.
Eggenberger, Nicole. “Lady Gaga
Confirms: I'm Going to Be the First Recording Artist to Sing in
Space.” US Magazine, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/lady-gaga-confirms-im-going-to-be-the-first-recording-artist-to-sing-in-space-20131111
“How Star Signs are Determined.”
Paranormal Encyclopedia. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/a/astrology/signs/diagram.html>.
“NASA.” NASA.gov. Web. 22 Nov.
2013. <www.nasa.gov>.
“Space Tickets
– A Journey of a Lifetime into Space.” Virgin Galatic. Web. 22
Nov. 2013. <http://www.virgingalactic.com/overview/space-tickets/>.
Toppo,
Greg. “Sputnik heralded space race, focus on learning.” USA
Today, 3 Oct. 2007. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
<http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-10-03-sputnik-education_n.htm>.
Vesna,
Victoria. “Space intro.” Cole
UC online.
Youtube, 26 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzN08A6UBoo>.
It is interesting how you brought up the educational system in this topic. I am also an engineer, so I am thankful for this movement as well. Hopefully the space programs do not get budget cuts because I believe that information in space will be useful for us in the future. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a great post! I liked how you mentioned what impact Sputnik had on the world and how it started NASA, a new curriculum in our schools, and the overall sort of panic it caused in our nation. It was also nice to see how you made a connection with our modern culture and how zodiacs incorporate our understanding of space.
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