Modern Kairos of Space Exploration

When you hear the words, “space race”, what do you think of? You probably think of boring history lessons of Soviets and Americans in a footrace for bragging rights of technological dominance. Maybe you’re one of those people that think of the space race as Hollywood’s most expensive movie, as just a drop in our government’s ocean of conspiracies. Either way, the term “space race” today has an old-fashioned connotation.

Now, when you hear “NASA”, what do you think of? This one’s a bit more polar. Some thank NASA for the cutting edge technological developments that have earthly applications as well as space-bound applications, while others criticize NASA for being an outdated money-waster that is to blame for a large share of our national debt. Your parents likely have a very different opinion than you do on this mega-administration.

Point is, over the past 50 years, perspectives of everything considered out-of-this-atmosphere has changed drastically.

The rhetorical appeal of Kairos appeals to timeliness, and the idea of the “opportune moment”. David Bowie’s version of the song "Space Oddity" was written, recorded, and produced in a time when nearly the entire American populous was behind the space race. On the contrary, Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield’s rewrite of the same song in 2013 was more attuned to a present day audience.

What happens to a wet washcloth in space?

Today’s audience perceives space as no longer a frontier, but still a realm of vast uncertainty and fascination. We’re interested in questions unlike the traditional “what does moon dust feel like?”, but rather “what cool things can you do in zero gravity?” or “how do bathrooms work in the ISS?”. The idea of zero gravity is associated with fun gymnastics and tricks, and the idea of space is associated with breathtaking images of solar eclipses.

From a lyrical approach, Hadfield modified some lyrics of the original to better suit a modern day perspective. Lines such as “Tell my wife I love her very much” in Bowie’s version expresses the danger and uncertainty of space flight, as was perceived in the 60’s. With improved safety and understanding today thanks to improved technology and research, Hadfield is able to change the line to “Our commander comes down back to earth”. This line is more appealing to contemporary audiences, making feeling of the song more positive and uplifting.

In Hadfield’s music video, he appeals to current perspectives of outer space with stunning views and neat gravity tricks. Beautiful shots of our home earth are showed from different perspectives, including impressive time lapses, even at “night” (even though there’s no night in space). He appeals to the fun fascination of zero gravity by “flying” through open spaces, and twirling his guitar, suspended in space.

This piece of art draws its appeal from the each element complementing each other; the modernized lyrics would not have the same appeal without being accompanied by the incredible cinematography.

After all, who doesn't want to join Chris Hadfield in the ISS for a day of spectacular sights and zero gravity flips?

~Greg Fiola