Who? What? When? Where? Why? As an inquisitive species, humans’ curiosity knows almost no bounds. We constantly endeavor to view and understand things that lie beyond our reach: outer space is just one of these examples.
Outer space is the physical universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere encompassing various celestial bodies, most of which we cannot see with the naked eye. Amidst the terror of the Cold War, Russia took a daring attempt to explore outer
space by launching the Sputnik on October 4, 1957 and sending the first person, Yuri Gagarin, into space for one full orbit around the Earth. A month later, the Russians launched Sputnik II, blasting the part-Samoyed terrier Laika into space. These missions provided the first sets of observations on the behaviors of living organisms once sent into outer space.
The dangers of space exploration have not stopped us from wanting to know more about our universe, even after tragedies like the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. Collectively, we seem to uphold a perpetual fascination for outer space and its continued exploration.
But this fascination doesn’t just stop at astronomical exploration: advertisements and popular culture in general evoke outer space. Samsung Galaxy smartphones, Milky Way chocolate bars, Venus razors, Pluto the pup, the famed moon walk dance, and the television program Star Trek are just a few examples of how we use space in advertising. This marketing strategy cajoles our minds into believing that these quotidian products are extra special.
These advertisements also add an element of mystery and intrigue. Since we want what we can’t have, and we can’t quite understand outer space, we logically want space-related items. Outer space boasts a certain kind of isolation, different from the developed and industrial world we live in. Undoubtedly, businesses want their products to stand out as different from the rest of the competition, too.
The days of only astronauts being able to go into space are over; now, anyone with a passion for discovery and $250,000 in their wallet can book their flight to space. Virgin Galactic, owned by Richard Branson, will be launching its first commercial suborbital flight this December, with 700 tickets already sold.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Like Socrates once said, “Man must rise above Earth to the top of the atmosphere and beyond, for only then will he fully understand the world in which he lives.” This age-old preoccupation is all around us. But why? Perhaps we are fed up with our mundane lives and desire the glamorous zero-gravity existence the media has taught us to covet. Or, perhaps we are fascinated by the prospect of extraterrestrial life. The next time you eat a Milky Way or pull out your Samsung Galaxy S4, ask yourself; you may just find the answer.