Lift Off- imagining space and the astronaut ideal .

Who is an astronaut? Is space a desirable destination, and do those that venture there have a meaningful impact on the public below? Is one lucky to go to space, or is it akin to banishment from the Earth? How porous are the boundaries between here-and-there, in light of recent flights to just the edge of the atmosphere?

This seminar will explore narratives of astronauts in fiction and as documented in historical archives.

We will look at:

Stanislaw Lem’s Solaris novel

Alan Bean, Is there anyone out there? and related images

Tarkovsky’s Solaris film adaptation

The soundtrack to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Michio Kaku, Parallel Worlds

Katerina Clark, The Soviet Novel

James Hansen, First Man

Cuaron, Gravity