IMAGINING SPACEWALKS

Inspired by Outside the Spacecraft, an exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum that celebrated 50 years of spacewalks, we used this Tumblr to collect images, artifacts, and stories that celebrate the rich history of humans venturing outside the spacecraft.

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Think about It...what would you include in your ideal picture of a planetary citizen?

This is one of a 12-piece series of mixed-media paintings combining batik, the ancient medium of textile design, with color xerography. It reproduces the famous photo of Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless flying the Manned Maneuvering Unit.

The quote at the bottom reads, "Each man comes back (to earth) with a feeling he is no longer only an American citizen; he is a planetary citizen." Planetary Citizen is Manno's signature piece.

Gift of Angela Manno

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Michael Kagan

We Live On in the Thoughts of Others, 2014

Oil on linen, 36 x 36 inches

My work focuses on iconic images… man pushing the limit of what he can do and knowing he might die doing it. My paintings oscillate between the abstract and the representational with forceful brushstrokes. As sections of abstract brushwork are created to form a large image, the painting is finished when it can fall apart and come back together depending on how it is read and the closeness to the work. The paintings are images, snapshots that capture fast, flash moments, quick reads that are locked into memory by their iconic silhouettes.

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Gemini IV by Simon Kregar

“I’m coming back in… and it’s the saddest moment of my life.” - Astronaut Edward H. White while reentering the spacecraft after his EVA. Taken from a photo in the NASA Archives. 

“I try to serve the most basic function of fine art through my work, inspiration. My hope is to help build a common culture founded in science and rational thought combined with an understanding of who and where we are in the Universe. I also have my heroes who inspire me, those people that have changed the world through their passion and work and unwavering dedication to determine the nature of reality. I feel that it is important we not only remember these people, but honor them in a way that is fitting of their respective achievements."  

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Inspired by Gene Cernan’s spacewalk during Gemini IX-A mission. An astronaut emerges into the blazing beams of our sun. During the birth of our space program we left our home planet and then began taking our first steps away from our spacecraft. 

Original Colored Pencil Painting on Sanded Pastel Board. © 2014 Marilynn Flynn/Tharsis Artworks

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Never was a backdrop so influential as the Earth seen behind the first American spacewalker, Ed White.

While images of Earth from great heights were common by the mid-1960s, the setting of low-Earth orbit as a location for human exploration needed not just the pioneers like Gagarin and Glenn, but the visual reference of White in space to give non-space travelers some reference point for imaging life in space. While it may conceal the dangers of working outside the spacecraft, this image solidified the iconic status of space travelers.

Can you create an iconic work of art inspired by this photograph? Whether you're captivated by the dangerous darkness of space or the liberating expansiveness, give it a shot, and submit an original artwork to our Tumblr!

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Ethereality by Michelle Rouch

Inspired by Dr. Buzz Aldrin’s vision for space exploration. The painting depicts a colorful representation of a heavenly area on the Moon.

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During the STS-64 Space Shuttle mission in September, 1994, U.S. Air Force Colonel Mark Lee became a self-propelled spacecraft, when he tested the Simplified Aid For Eva Rescue (S.A.F.E.R.), an emergency maneuvering system. The S.A.F.E.R., now used on all EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity), is mounted on the Life Support Backpack. In the event that an astronaut becomes untethered and drifts, the astronaut can operate nitrogen gas jets to provide stability and control functions which allow him or her to fly back to their spacecraft. This painting created by former NASA research pilot and aerospace artist, Mark Pestana.

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Expeditions on the ISS today feature the use of both American and Russian equipment, as does the station itself. And while the spacesuits may be different, the gold-coated visors remain the same.

This reflective and protective material provides a necessary barrier between the sun and human eyes, but offers insight into the visions beheld by those on EVA. Here, cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy works diligently to maintain the station with his EVA partner and a view of nearly all of human existence shining back in his visor.

Can you imagine seeing the entire world, all in front of you, shining bright in the vastness of space? We invite you to create artwork inspired by this idea and submit it for a chance to be featured on this Tumblr.

Credit: NASA

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Gemini IV spacewalk by manbartlett

From 52GIFS, a yearlong, weekly gif series sent to email subscribers. I’ve been really into alternating between space and deepwater themes lately, and how humanity overcomes the “natural” order of things to see into the great beyond.

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“Cathedral” by Erika McGinnis

This is an acrylic painting I did called Cathedral.  In this work, I wanted to capture the isolation of being outside of the ship, and the vastness of “out there.”

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Gemini 4 EVA by Bec Bigg-Wither

Hand-cut collage on paper: 30 x 40 cm. 

I’ve tried to spotlight Jim McDivitt’s role in the Gemini 4 EVA. I love how he manages to hold it all together and talk Ed White back into the spacecraft amidst communications problems, anxious flight controllers, and White’s valiant attempts to wheedle a few more moments outside.  Piece includes crowd at bottom left and angelic hands reaching for White at top. 

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These lunar overshoes were made for and worn by Gene Cernan, commander of the Apollo 17 mission that landed on the Moon on December 10, 1972.

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“World at Our Fingertips” by Mimi Stuart

“Trying to tie your shoelace with one hand…” is how Dick Gordon described tethering the Agena vehicle to the Gemini 11 spacecraft while trying to hold onto the docking bar without floating away.

With every mission, technological advancements bring us closer to mankind’s dream of exploring places beyond our grasp.

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I wasn't lost in space. But I was absolutely helpless."

Astronaut Eugene Cernan on his Gemini IX-A spacewalk 

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Dangling from a long robotic arm may seem like a fantasy, but for astronaut Story Musgrave (pictured above), it was a reality. 

Musgrave and his spacewalking partner, Jeff Hoffman, spent over seven hours in that position during the first servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993. Their work paid off – this was the final EVA of the mission that corrected Hubble’s vision, putting the finishing touches on what became perhaps the most famous and successful scientific instrument ever. Hubble may look out into space, but this view of a shuttle, astronauts, and a giant telescope with the backdrop of Earth puts the challenges and rewards of spacewalking into perspective.

How would you look dangling from the long robotic arm? Share your perspective with us by submitting original artwork!

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Jigme Kim, age 5.  

Jigme says the name of his piece is “CPA Skywalk” (he says CPA doesn’t have a meaning; “I just like it that way”).  He drew the picture “because it looks like I’m walking in space.” 

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Jedidiah Dore

Star Gaze, 2013

Hand-pulled screen print, silver metallic ink on indigo cover stock. 18 x 24

Space exploration has always been a great inspiration and instilled a sense of wonder in my work. I created the Gemini 4 EVA screen print as part of a series to commemorate the history and achievements of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo NASA lunar missions. This art is inspired by astronaut Edward White during the Gemini 4 EVA spacewalk.