Category Archives: Space Western/Frontier

Spacesuits from Around the World

NationStates | Dispatch | NCT space military

Last time I dove into spacesuits I had a very US-centric approach, but here I will cover some interesting aspects of suits from around the world.

The new Russian Sokol-M suits for use in rocket flights up to the ISS have no option to pee out of it… which Russian cosmonauts are upset about because pissing on the tarmac is a good luck ritual.  The design has a new zipper that doesn’t allow for male urination, but it also means the suit is airtight, allowing the Russians to ditch the rubber inner-suit.  This saves time changing in and out of it, and it is more mobile (or it would be, if the suit wasn’t designed for optimal sitting comfort).  Beneath it I have a science fiction image of Russian spacesuits, but I believe it is from the US (hence the innately evil look).  Most of what I can find from international science fiction resembles closely to what US science fiction illuminates, which is that idea that it would be great to be able to operate in space exactly as we do on Earth without hindrance from bulky suits.

It is no shock to me that the Russians – humans just like us – are interested in the same improvements: making the “personal spaceships” their spacemen wear feel less like a spaceship.  Increased mobility, comfort, and ease are the goals of spacesuit producers around the world.  Creating a suit that allows humans to behave in space just as they would on Earth is the dream, which is also how most science fiction authors write people moving in space, whether it be Matt Damon’s Martian in his metallic suit or Harrison Ford’s Han Solo in a simple breathing apparatus (I know, two US examples).

The Russians also showed off in 2015 their new Orlan-MKS space suit:

I also found a Russian website that gives a mini picture tour of their spacesuit factory at Tomilino and its suit construction history:

https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/g1317/step-inside-the-russian-spacesuit-factory/?slide=1

Below is a Russian freelance design of a pressurized glove that launched his professional career after winning a NASA competition.  This glove, with enhanced joint mobility, highlights the importance and desire of astronauts to function as they would on earth.

When observing China’s spacesuits (hard because they are much more secretive about their technology) I came to the realization that all spacesuits look a lot alike.  In part that is because we are using the same materials with a similar grasp on how to construct a suit, and all nations face the same obstacles in space.

But then I also found that China has a history of simply using other nation’s suits, as well as reverse engineering the designs for their own production.

Here is a slideshow (kinda old fashioned website) depicting some major moments in Chinese suit creation.

But it doesn’t matter, because despite the space race’s early fierce competition, space has become a sort of haven for international relations.  The challenges are so extreme it truly is an arena for human cooperation.  It is a classic phenomena: rivals in one area become allies when faced with an opposition that typically resides further away.  On Earth, the US and China are as far apart from each other as they can be, so they but heads on nearly every issue.  Space is the place (Sun Ra reference?) that is far away enough away from both nations that proposes its own hardships that we can overcome together.

Here is yet another article reviewing the general pursuit for the best spacesuit.

Below is a picture (and link to a website) that claims to show and list the names of all spacesuits (USA and Russian) ever made:

Spacesuits

This week started with me researching alien encounter/UFO sightings from astronauts, then I began delving into the Artemis Generation of the NASA space-program.  These suits will hopefully provide the means to have prolonged living on the moon and then Mars.  Science Fiction has often embellished space suits, as the dream of behaving in foreign planets and space as we would naturally on Earth.  The Artemis suits are much more mobile, which is an crucial first step.  This video was a very fun watch and breaks down the challenges astronaut suits must overcome:

I am also loving the patriotic color scheme, which seems to also take from various Science Fiction inspirations.

NASA loves to stress the fact that pressurized space suits are less clothing than they are fully capable personal spacesuits.  These spacesuits are essential to humanity searching the remaining frontier, and the rest of this post will show some pictures of some of my favorite suits from across science fiction.

Master Chief’s “Mjolnir” Armor in Halo 2 Anniversary Edition (USA, 2014)

Season two of Lost in Space on Netflix (USA, 2019).

Oblivion (USA, 2013)

Commander Cody’s Phase II Armor from Star Wars Episode III (USA, 2005).

Does Our Perception of Aliens Justify our Exploitation of Space?

Our collective imagination of alien races tends to depict them as physically stronger and/or more highly advanced. This is done to embellish and excite. However, could this play into our acceptance of imperial exploitation of space for its resources.  Could facing such a stronger adversary enable us to have a sense of entitlement that allows us to mistreat conquered aliens and their environments.  It is easier to acknowledge the evils of imperialist tactics when it is blatantly obvious the subjugated peoples were vastly behind on technology.  Since the violence against indigenous peoples was clearly a one sided conflict, our human empathy can relate to their struggle and thus bring a sense of guilt.

Could facing a stronger group of indigenous peoples – ei) our common perspective of aliens – wrongly clear our collective conscience on our exploitation.  Does overcoming a seemingly impossible conflict makes us feel deserving of reaping the rewards?  And could this desire lead us to write stories of Earthly dominance in environments where we struggle to capture what we have.  Do the challenges we face in the ecosystems and alien encounters help to clear our guilt, so make for more enjoyable stories?

Virtual Reality: Death to the Frontier or Another Tool?

In our class reading of Lino Aldani’s “Goodnight, Sophie” depicted a harsh view of a dystopian world.  However, the population was more than living in a cozy catastrophe; all but a few people were convinced they lived in a utopia.  In this short story, pornographic action movies seem to big the biggest demand.  People are not born through sex and pregnancy, but rather through test tubes and artificial lab procedures.  Society itself seems to place emphasis on lust over love, and the story demonstrates how people are fine with this bleak reality without genuine socialization as long as they have a gripping enough virtual reality to escape too.

However, in our world many researchers see virtual reality as a way to train and condition people for the realities of the world.  Many see it as a tool to bridge the gap between cultures, as the VR will help people be more empathetic.  It is already used to train pilots and soldiers in various scenarios, and some people believe it could be used to help children how to combat bullying at school.  At Bowdoin I have been assigned to use VR to explore ancient Rome, so many professors would also say it is a helpful learning tool.  Many news outlets are also quick to pounce on the possibilites of VR outside of its current primarily gaming market:

“Piotr Łój, Founder of the Virtual Dream Project, is traveling from Poland to share how he’s using virtual reality to aid the relief of young oncology patients. ‘VR is one of the most crucial issues of social development in our time as it touches every crisis of the modern world. Escapism, alter-ego, depression, anti-social behavior, porn addiction, gaming addiction, suicide and suicide prevention, a lack of empathy for others and the dehumanization of society. In all of these cases VR has great impact potential.'” (https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/2017/11/08/is-it-possible-to-benefit-society-with-virtual-reality/#53717b778640)

It makes me curious to see the first  five things (as well as many at the end of the list) on Piotr’s list are the exact evils Aldani was concerned about.  I wish the article clarified what he meant by having a great impact potential.  The overall positive tone of the article, which emphasizes greater community building and social betterment, makes me believe that he beleives VR can overcome the issues of escapism, alter-ego, depression, porn addiction, etc.  Although the practical teaching and clinical usage of VR systems may be able to help these issues, it needs to be drastically noted that VR can also become the root of these problems if abused on the market.

Porn addiction could become more and more drastic as participants could feel completely invloved as the technology becomes more realistic and encompasses all the senses.  Dehumanization could run rampant as people disregard the hardships of other because it is so easy to live in one’s own world.  Escapism could only become more enveloping as people can truly start to live other lives.

So what becomes of the American, and overall human, notion of the frontier when the frontier is no longer in the real world?  When the artificial existence becomes more adventurous and convenient then the real experience, what will drive people to make the world a better place?  The novel Ready Player One by Ernest Cline tackles this issue is the scariest way possible: writing a novel where no one really does care about the world.  Whether this was intentional or not, I do not know.  But the grim world of trailer park continents is not a reality anyone would want to live in.

That being said, even the poorest people have access the vast Virtual Reality web in this novel.  Just about everyone has stopped trying to fix the real world, and instead battles occur in the virtual for ownership of the subscription/selling rights to the VR existence.  The protagonists’ frontier is not the real world, where the true frontier is humanity, but rather in the game world.  If we are not careful to regulate how we develop virtual reality, and how we allow ourselves to indulge in it, I see this being the one true way humanity reaches its apocalypse: not a world on fire, but one where we forget it even exists.

Continue reading →

Master Chief and Cortana (Halo 4, US 2012)

 

Master Chief (super soldier) and Cortana (A.I.) from the Halo series of XBOX games represent the near perfect integration of artificial intelligence directly into the human mind.  The human mind retains its own identity and thoughts, while the A.I. has its separate consciousness that gives instant support when needed.Is this the best way to integrate A.I., our should it not have an identity of its own?

Space as the New American Frontier

Ingrained into the culture of the United States is a sense of the frontier.  It has become one of the most recognizable traits of our cultural identity.  Pushing westward was symbolic of our push into unknown cultural territory as well.  Brutal and violent, the Western frontier was a wasteland where the rugged individual would thrive, and in this environment true change could occur.  This is symbolic of America’s violent past, but out of that violence a truly beautiful society can be built.  The US is always pushing the understanding of science and the range of human achievement.  The notion of manifest destiny permeated into American minds, and the frontier was where the dreams would be realized.

The western frontier is settled, yet these desires live on.  Science fiction is one avenue where these age old ideals can live on.  Space is the infinite frontier, representative of the infinite possibilities of human betterment.  Science fiction stories adopt many visual styles (Roland from  King’s the The Dark Tower Series and the Mandalorian from Disney’s The Mandalorian– above) from traditional westerns.  Clothing and setting are often modeled after the old media, but even more so are the characters.  The lone man overcoming nature, evil, and himself has become a sort of cliche.  However, this character model runs parallel to an optimistic view of humanity as a whole: a people who can overcome.

Star Trek (Starship Enterprise above) is very much a product of the American desire for the frontier.  The whole show is a love letter to humanity’s ability to overcome.  Having already solved war, famine, and class strife, the franchise shows new obstacles will always present themselves to be overcome.  And no character may represent this idea more than the man in the chair James Tiberius Kirk (below).  Kirk is often criticized for being rash, headstrong, and too much of a womanizer.  However, the core of his being is a noble idea that summarizes the attitude of humanity throughout all time: “I do not believe in no win scenarios.”

Kirk says this line when explaining how he beat an unwinnable test at Starfleet Academy, which doubled as his defense for hacking into the computer to change the conditions of the test.  Like the western frontier and the frontier of space, this statement represents the lengths humanity will go to progress and eventually “win” (whatever that may be).  Kirk is a man who can best aliens, gods, and space itself with all its mysteries.  He does so with intuition and strength, and he carries a set of 60’s American democratic values wherever he goes.  His brand of romantic (to be noted he  was objectifying towards women- he was written in a different time) and mythical heroism is cemented in traditional male heroism.  His charisma and attitude reflect those of the cowboy western media.  His persona embodies the human spirit to dive head first into unknown reaches without looking back, and somehow scrape his way through to the other side.

Kirk and Star Trek are just one obvious example of the human desire to expand the frontier.  It is in our media because it it in our minds.  JFK gave the reason the US would go to the moon: “because it is hard.”  Expanding human understanding, upholding the human desire of betterment, will always be a staple of who we are.  And the American West which reflects these ideals will not be the last genre to capture it: Science Fiction shall carry this torch as well.

February 16, 2020