At the intersection of space exploration and creativity, the International Space Station is a unique platform for artistic expression. Projects spanning multiple media, from the visual arts to music, have inspired audiences from hundreds of miles above.
As part of a program to help patients cope with their cancer treatments through art, the Spacesuit Art Project invited over 530 pediatric cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center, family members, and support personnel to paint canvas strips. The hand-painted art pieces were stitched together and incorporated into three spacesuits that were fittingly named HOPE, COURAGE, and UNITY. The COURAGE suit, created solely by pediatric patients, was launched to the station and worn by cancer researcher and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins. She provided special downlinks to speak with the patients and to raise awareness for childhood cancer research.
The MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative also made an “open call” to artists around the world to participate in the Earthlings experiment. Art samples were deployed in a rotating structure aboard the space station. The project empowered a new generation of artists, designers, and creatives to engage their art in extreme and remote environments, which in turn inspires people on Earth.
Inspiring audiences in a different manner, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano in 2019 became the first DJ in space. He broadcasted a live 12-minute DJ set from the International Space Station for concertgoers on the Spanish island of Ibiza.” While energizing the crowd, the project was intended to inspire younger audiences about ESA and space exploration.
Read about more of the space station’s benefits here. View the full International Space Station Benefits for Humanity 2022 publication here. See Scientific Citations from the publication here. For daily updates on the science happening aboard station, follow us on Twitter @ISS_Research, Space Station Research and Technology Latest News, or Facebook space station page. For opportunities to see the space station pass over your town, check out Spot the Station.