Image World

 

Module: Sondergebiete Darstellen & Gestalten. 3 CP M.Sc. 2019

Lecturer: Prof. Thomas Schmitz, Christopher Rotman

While "Space Oddity" (David Bowie, 1969) "Walking on the Moon" (The Police, 1979) or "The Final Countdown" (Europe, 1986) have long fallen into the category of "oldie", they are nevertheless the only surviving musical reaction of pop culture to the achievements of space travel. Similar to music, visions of the last millennium in literature and film shape our collective images of the universe and its exploration. Since August 2012, the nuclear-powered rover Curiosity has been exploring Mars to find out whether microbial life has a chance here. Space X wants to make space travel possible for a broad public in the foreseeable future with the help of reusable and soft-landing rockets at low prices. In 2015, the company succeeded in landing a Falcon 9 launcher on Earth after its mission. Meanwhile, NASA is exploring concepts for preparing the surface of Mars for agriculture and the possibilities of using vacuum airships to travel.

Wouldn't it also be time to adjust our images? Don't we need visions for the future right now, not only reaching into the year 2001?