Danny Bednar - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Danny Bednar

dbednar@uwo.ca

Office: SSC 2410

Office hours: Thursdays after class or by appointmentSlide2

What will be on Test 3?

Lectures 8,9 and 10

Anything written on the course website or said by a lecturer in class

Videos are SUPPLEMENTARY to help understand, but will not be directly referenced in questions

Some links are testable, especially if they are looked through during class on the projector.

Test format will be short answerSlide3

Space in Popular Culture

Tuesday November 1

st

, 2012Slide4

This Presentation is complimentary to the GEOG 2090 lecture 9b “space in culture, science fiction”

http://instruct.uwo.ca/geog/136a/lec9b.htmSlide5

Space Culture in the 18

th

and early 19

th

century

Hard to imagine in some ways, but understanding of space before the 1960’s was very limited

The ideas that there could be advanced life on Mars or even Earth’s Moon were presented in very different contexts than they are today

http://www.lit4lib.sky7.us/luciansa.html

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/archive/permalink/the_great_moon_hoax

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0617_050617_warworlds.htmlSlide6

Space as Frontier

Numerous authors in both popular culture and academia have discussed the notion of space as a continuing frontier in place of new areas on Earth to discover;

The idea of the frontier was especially prominent in United States history and continued into the Space Age

http://archive.spacefrontier.org/Policies/frontieragenda.htmlSlide7

Space, the Frontier and Star Trek

The quotes “Space…the final frontier” and “where no man [sic] has gone before” from the famous opening monologue during the credits of Star Trek have become culturally significant quotations in North American and European Culture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2gPUabIqQQ

A large portion of the world’s familiarity with space

exploration’s

concepts and

its challenges

likely come from popular culture properties like Star Trek.

Star Trek interacts with real science through things like the X-prize’s “

tricorder

challenge”

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/quirks-quarks-blog/2012/01/star-trek-tricorder-challenge.htmlSlide8
Slide9

Evolution of Space as ‘Frontier’

In the 1970’s

images of the

whole Earth

taken from space become symbols of environmental movements and new cultural understandings of

human history and the frailty of Earth

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/photography/photos/milestones-space-photography/earth-full-view

/

Within this movement, exploring the new frontier of space allowed us to reevaluate our place in the Universe (see Carl Sagan’s Cosmos)

The idea

of

space as a frontier began to grow

in the business and scientific community as

the finite nature of Earth’s resources gained popular discussion

Current business approaches to space rely heavily on the discourse of space as a new frontier

http://www.ctvnews.ca/billionaires-want-to-open-new-mining-frontier-asteroids-1.800490Slide10

Space as Unknown

Culturally, space has commonly represented the unknown and the

strange; much

as the open

Seas and deep

o

cean

once

did (still do)

Super market tabloids have traditionally relied on space to present some of the most outlandish and strange fictional tales which grab readers’ attention.

http://weeklyworldnews.com/Slide11

Space Literature

Space has been most prominent in literature in ‘Science-Fiction’

Landmark science fiction writers include Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Arthur C.

Clarke,

Phillip K. Dyke, Frank Herbert, Ray Bradbury, Robert

Heinlien

, and Isaac Asimov

Before much was known abut Earth's neighborhood, space provided early 20

th

Century writers good settings for strange and provocative stories.

This early period of space culture was commonly used to make social commentaries on things such as religion, race and warSlide12

Space Music

Musicians have used space to illicit existential messages, environmental messages and

themes related to either

the advancement or downfall of human kind.

Daivd

Bowie’s “Space Oddity” is one of the most famous space themed singles in music history. It uses space travel as a means to discuss various themes including the desolate nature of space, loneliness and technology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D67kmFzSh_oSlide13

The First ‘Sci-Fi’ Film

The first science-fiction film was space themed

1902- Voyage

Dans

La Lune: considered by many to be the first science-fiction movie. Inspired by earlier literary work by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

http://www.filmsite.org/voya.htmlSlide14

Space and Film

Numerous themes have been explored in

films where space

exploration

is the main

setting.

http://www.hobbyspace.com/Movies/index.html#SpaceMovies

Because of the visual

spectacle

which space provides, films have played a large role in fostering some of the more prominent discourses

and imagery that

surround space exploration in our society.

Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey has specifically been often discussed for its application to various political-philosophical themes

http://www.palantir.net/2001/meanings.htmlSlide15

Space in Film: Ominous VisitorsSlide16

Space in Film: Isolation/TerrorSlide17

Space in Film: True StoriesSlide18

Space in Film: Doom, Gloom and Human Nature (and Metaphors)Slide19

Space in Film: Bad ScienceSlide20

Distinguishing Science and SCI-FI

Some movies (like the Carl Sagan written ‘Contact’) work to portray science and scientists in

a somewhat

accurate

manner,

despite relying on story-necessary leaps in technology or

plausibility

(hence science-FICTION).

Others do not

http://listverse.com/2007/11/23/top-10-errors-in-science-fiction-movies/

http://www.everythingaction.com/2011/01/07/nasas-most-scientifically-accurate-and-inaccurate-movies/Slide21

Conclusion: Space Culture as Important

Space exploration exists as a concept of one form or another to practically everyone

Before taking this class you may have had your own assumptions about what space exploration was

Often what drives geographers, engineers, physicists or geologists among others to study space is their connection to

it

through popular-culture

There are interesting connections between space as it is studied by scientists and academics and the space that is presented in television, literature and filmSlide22

Conclusion: Space Culture as Important

Space discourse reflects some of humanities biggest challenges and hopes for the future (environmental, economic, scientific, philosophical, and political,)

http://fwb.home.xs4all.nl/rgbmars.html

Some of the biggest questions facing humanity look towards space exploration for answers (Are we alone? How did it all start?)

Space culture is used to honor and maintain our history (Roman and Greek names for planets, craters named after scientists and authors etc…)

Space

influences

art

http://iaaa.org/

Defining moments of human history have been related to space exploration: Galileo and Copernicus’ ideas of

Heliocentrism

, the launch of Sputnik and the televised broad cast of the Apollo 11 landing

http://history.nasa.gov/sp4801-chapter4.pdf

http://www.worldpicturejournal.com/WP_7/PDFs/Engell.pdfSlide23

Space and ConspiraciesSlide24

Space and

Conspiracies

One of the more prominent ways space exploration is discussed in popular culture is through conspiracies related to it

This is commonly related to the ‘unknown’ and ‘mysterious’

discourses

of space mentioned

earlierSlide25

Apollo Moon Conspiracy

Assumes that the Apollo 11 and subsequent missions to land on the Moon were filmed in a

studio;

commonly

‘

Area 51’

Suggests that the incentive to fake the landing existed, implies Nixon Administration was head of conspiracy efforts

Often claim that technology did not, and even still does not, exist that could successfully land humans on the Moon

Points to apparent inconsistencies with moon landing evidence

Photographs

Footage

Lack of continued travelSlide26

Apollo Moon Conspiracy

Numerous sources exist to both be exposed to these claims as well as to refute and de-bunk them

http://www.ufos-aliens.co.uk/cosmicapollo.html

Scientists, Social Scientists, independent researchers and various government agencies have all provided material which debunks these hoax ideas

http://www.badastronomy.com/index.html

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/4279691

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/truth-behind-moon-landings/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5MUv7QkMmA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz7cUP4o-ZQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWZ_LCnkE7ASlide27

Moon Conspiracy De-Bunking

“Ask

the Russians”

– Buzz

Aldrin

During the Cold War both the US and USSR were aware that there were enemy spies throughout their governments

Information about the progress of the Apollo mission, as well as other classified material constantly found its way to the USSR

This would likely have compromised any attempt to fake a Moon landing Slide28

Moon Conspiracy De-Bunking

“it would have been harder than

actually

going to the Moon” –

James Longuski

, Department of Aeronautics, Purdue University

The conspiracy implies that thousands of involved individuals were either fooled or complaisant with the hoax

This is generally a reverse understanding of Government competence. Communication vs. Technical Skill and ResourcesSlide29
Slide30

Moon Conspiracy De-Bunking

Not a necessarily difficult task to go back, but an expensive and unsupported one

Once the SIX Apollo

missions

were finished the

political incentive fund more missions to

the Moon

dwindled

as

ratings fell dramatically for missions

3

-6 and the Cold War cooled down

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-4204/ch22-8.html

To revisit the Moon in the 1980s, 1990s or beyond would have required

billions

of dollars to restart the program and create new

infrastructure

up

to par with

advances in

technology

NASA has received continuous

cuts.

T

he

Apollo program cost approximately $25 billion in 1969, over $100 billion in 2012 Dollars

http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/cost-of-apollo-program

The Cold War and Space Race were very unique situations in American political discourse and economic circumstanceSlide31

Moon Conspiracy De-Bunking

Either Humans have been on the Moon, or

it is

made out of mirrors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmVxSFnjYCASlide32

Conspiracies

Why do people still believe?

Psychologists and other academics have provided many explanations for peoples propensity to accept conspiracies

2011 Darwin et al. - Belief in Conspiracy Theories, the Role of Paranoid Belief, Paranoid Ideation and

Schizotopy

2011

Newhieser

et al. - The Functional Nature of Conspiracy Beliefs –

Examining

the Underpinnings of Belief in the

Da

Vinci Code conspiracy

2011 Kay - Show me the Birth Certificate –

Conspiracism

in the Age of Obama

2012 Swami et al. – Lunar Lies – The Impact of Informational Framing and Individual Differences in Shaping Conspiracy Beliefs about the Moon Landings

2012 Wood et al. – Dead or Alive – Belief in Contradictory Conspiracy Theories

THESE ARTICLES WILL NOT BE DIRECTLY REFRENCED IN A TEST QUESTION!!!!!!Slide33

Conspiracies

Some reasons the research indicates Moon conspiracies (and others) continue to fester

Impossible burdens of proof

Confirmation bias (self-fulfilling information)

Helplessness

Over-Saturation of Information and Lie Resonance

Hyper-Criticism

Assumption of Hyper-Competence

Need for answers within existing concepts and lack of necessary understanding towards new concepts (Van Allen Belts)

False Cause and Effect

The Assumption of Major Events having ‘major causes’

Framing oneself as ‘the wise contrarian’, ‘crusader of truth’

Lack of understanding of ‘reality’ and

‘proof’,

(paranoia)

Inconsequential nature of “theories”Slide34

Finally…Slide35

The ‘Face on Mars’

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast24may_1/

Pareidolia